In Sidious's Shadow
by amthyst-fire
Summary: Abandoned/old story line.
1. List of Characters

**Disclaimer #1: This should be a complete list of all the Characters that should be in this story, and will be updated as I need to.**

**Disclaimer #2: If you haven't read Yoda's Shadow and Shadows of the Sith, I really recommend that you do so, as this is the third part of that trilogy. I don't know that it's entirely necessary, but I think you'll be hopelessly confused if you don't. Your choice.**

**Disclaimer #3: This is really just for reference. If this is your first time through, I recommend going immediately to the next chapter, but come back here if you get confused.**

**Disclaimer #4: I've taken this from Shadows of the Sith and edited it, so characters that died are not here, and there are characters I may or may not actually be in the story, because I do want to try to tighten it down. I doubt I will have anyone visiting Kashyyyk(unless battle goes there. It may, Kashyyyk is on the Outer Rim).**

**Promise from the author: I will keep this updated to include characters as they become important enough to get mentioned, or at least for me to think about mentioning them, as I know there are now a bunch of characters on here who probably won't appear in the story.**

**Disclaimer #5: This is going to be an intricate and involved story. I realize this because a very, very simple outline--by topic, mind you, not even by chapter--took me twelve pages. I was just writing in the (Likely vain) hope that I could keep myself from wandering off topic. **

**Disclaimer #6: Don't expect updates more than once a week(although I probably will be able to do so more often than not). I write as I publish, so although I may get somewhat ahead of what is up, it's several stages behind what I'm ready to publish. (I can remember at least once or twice in Shadows of the Sith being in "Polish" on one chapter, "Write" on a second, "Flesh out" on a third, and "Outline" on a fourth--especially when I was writing Jae's little foray into the dark side)**

**Disclaimer #7: _Chapter length is inversly proportional to the time it takes me to post a chapter!_ I get asked both to publish more often, and to write longer chapters.(Though considering I've put out chapters that are close to 10,000 words, I don't know what you guys really want, honestly...) I write at the speed I write. I post a chapter when it's finished. (I know that sounds a little angry, but it's not really..maybe annoyed, but only slightly)**

**Disclaimer #8: I've also included the 'full' names of some characters that weren't previously 'published' anywhere. So if you don't mind a little bit of spoilers, you might read through it. **

**K. So is that long enough that you aren't seeing anything you don't want to?(Nah, you guys are probably going to eat this up cuz I'm going to leave this up for a day(barring any problems) before I put up the actual first chapter.)**

**Disclaimer #0(the one I shouldn't even have to put up, because this is fanfiction by definition, but I will, just this once): I own less than half the characters in this story. If Mr. George Lucas, Mr. Timothy Zhan, or Mr. Michael Stackpole introduced them, then they are good characters, and they belong to the abovementioned fine gentlemen, and I will return their characters with as little abuse and emotional trauma as possible, if possible. If not, and they are in my story, I either created or borrowed them from another writer. I will return those that belong to others, though I can't say what condition they will be in...Especially Tann...My characters are mine, and additionally belong to Yoda1976, who is still helping me write this monster...Oh, and I don't make any money by publishing this. Just so you know.**

* * *

_Anakin's Family_

Padmé Naberrie, His wife

**His Children**

Luke Anakin Skywalker

Leia Amidala Skywalker-Solo

Elizabeth(Liz) Shmi Skywalker-Kenobi

Celia Jobal Skywalker

Cedric Ruwee Skywalker

Jaedrea(Jae) Clayre Skywalker

Julia(Jul) Nicole Skywalker

Jasmine(Jaz) Elyse Skywalker

Oberon Isaiah Skywalker

Ophelia Winama Skywalker

**His children's spouses**

Han Solo

Mara Jade

Fel-Gin Kenobi

**His children's children**

Sabé Solo

Kitster Solo

Ardrya Skywalker

**His Padawans**

J. K. Burtola

Ash Ker

_Obi-Wan's Family_

Siri Tachi, his wife

**His Children**

Siri-Wan Burtola(Rain)

Dak-Tin(Dan)

Fel-Gin(Fin)

**His children's spouses**

J. K. Burtola

Elizabeth Skywalker

**His children's children**

Olisa Burtola

Kennis Burtola

**His Padawans**

Anakin Skywalker

Mara Jade Skywalker

Jaedrea Skywalker

_Other Jedi Characters_

Ayden Cerre, an Initiate in Garral Clan

Barik Jedreng, Flight Master, Junior Padawans, Coruscant Temple

Cin Drallig, Battle Master, Courscant Temple

Coleman Trebor, Council Member

Corran Halcyon, Padawan from Boma Clan, to Kit Fisto. Lives with his grandfather and grandmother.

Derek, An Initiate in Sleen Clan

Eeth Koth, Council Member

Elysa Moriare, a fifteen-year-old Padawan

Ferus Olin, Siri Tachi's Padawan, now a Master himself

Jace Danray

Kedre Feranth, Sorseu Master, Coruscant Temple

Ki-Adi-Mundi, Council Member

Kit Fisto, Council Member

Mace Windu, Grand Master

Nejaa Halcyon, Jedi Master

Oppo Rancisis, Council Member

Orlin Davnic, a fourteen-year-old Padawan

Plo Koon, Council Member

Qui-Gon Jinn

Saesee Tiin, Council Member, Julia Skywalker's Master

Sarek Elson

Sarven, a Knight from Boma clan

Shaak Ti, Council Member, Cedric's Master

Sha Koon, Liz's Master

Soara Antana, Lightsaber Master

Stass Allie, Master Healer, Council Member, Celia's Master

Territh Kether, Orlin Davnic's Master

Tolin, An Initiate in Sleen Clan

_Other Characters_

Alyssa, A student at the NFS complex

Arrana, Padmé's secretary

Bail Organa, Senator of Alderaan Sector, Assistant Chancellor

Chis Bon, Aide to the Chancellor

Dexter Jettster, Owner and cook for Dex's Diner.

Jer Amereth, A teacher at the NFS Complex

Kem'ska, a Kon'me Senator from Bal'demnic, representing the Auril Sector

Lando Calrissian, Baron Administrator of Cloud City

Livo, An older student at the NFS complex

Mon Mothma, Senator of Bormea Sector

Myrrissa Stryder, Parent at NFS complex, Initiate level teacher

Nog'reth, a Kon'me Senator from Bal'demnic, reprsenting the Auril Sector

Ral'Rai Muvunc, Senator of Ryloth

Rostek Horn, CorSec. Friend of Nejaa Halcyon.

Scerra Halcyon, Wife of Neeja, mother of Valin and grandmother of Corran. Lives with Neeja on Coruscant.

Selek Stryder, Parent at the NFS Complex, gardener

Selene, A student at the NFS complex

Sev'rance Tann

Sillise, A Togruta student at the NFS complex

Valin Halcyon, Son of Nejaa and Scerra Halcyon. Never trained as a Jedi. Works in CorSec. Father of Corran Halcyon.

_Wookiee Characters  
_

Attichituk, _Itchy_, father of Chewbacca and Kallabow

Chewbacca, _Chewie_, Wookiee with a life-debt to Han Solo. Acts as first mate on _Melinium Falcon._

Dewlannamapia, _Dewlanna_, former cook aboard the _Trader's Luck_.

Kallabow, sister of Chewbacca

Mahraccor, Kallabow's husband_  
_

Mallatobuck, _Malla_, Chewbacca's wife

Lowbacca, _Lowie_, Kallabow's son, and thus Chewie's nephew

Lumpawarrump, _Lumpy_, Chewbacca's son

Utchakkaloch, _Chakk_, son of Dewlannamapia and Isshaddik

_Rogue Squadron_

Rogue Leader—Garven Dreis

Rogue Two—Wedge Antilles

Rogue Three—Wes Janson

Rogue Four—John D. Branon

Rogue Five—Biggs Darklighter

Rogue Six—Derek "Hobbie" Klivian

Rogue Seven—Tycho Celchu

Rogue Eight—Elyhek Rue

Rogue Nine—Zev Senesca

Rogue Ten—Bren Quersey

Rogue Eleven—Naytaan

Rogue Twelve—Theron Nett


	2. Chapter 1

******AN: I know I've been all over the map about what I'm doing with this, but here is the first chapter of the new story. I hope this will sate some of you for a little while, at least. (I know I accidentally got a slightly older version of this up when I was supposed to be just posting the character list, but it is fixed now, and all proper)**

******Thank you to those who did review the "first" chapter, and here is the long awaited third book(well, the first chapter, anyway).**

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Skywalker Central, 39:6:19**

_Cedric quietly came in behind his mother. "We can start now, Mom, unless you want Master Ti or anyone else here."_

"_Oh, no, I think we have quite enough Jedi Masters gathered already," she said to him as he sat on the sofa._

_He nodded, and he was rather nervous. He knew that something had happened on Bespin with Tann, but he didn't quite know what. He hadn't been able to corner Luke for long enough to find out what._

"_I know that there are some scary things going on right now; it seems like the Senate is collapsing, and there is almost inevitably going to be war," his mother started._

"_Is it going to be another war with the Sith?" Liz asked._

"_I don't know," Luke answered her question. _

"_What do you mean you don't know?" she asked._

"_I think Darth Maul is dead."_

"_Why do you think that?" their father asked as his eyes snapped open. He was sprawled out on the sofa in a way that he knew his mother disapproved of, with Jaz and Jae to either side of him._

"_I've sort of pieced it together from a bunch of different things."_

_His eyes narrowed as he focused all of his attention on Luke. Cedric was just glad he wasn't the one under scrutiny. "What things?" _

"_When was the last time anyone saw him?"_

"_A couple of years ago, but it's been years between confirmed sightings of either of them before," their father said, sitting up, his attention now captured completely._

"_You remember about a month ago when we thought that we felt the death of a planet?"_

"_I remember."_

"_Well, I imagine, from Maul being absent and that event that he was likely overseeing the construction of that menace."_

"_That doesn't prove that he's dead, Luke."_

"_I'm getting there. He sent Immolious to Bespin to take over and supply the place. She even told Lando where the supplies were going."_

"_Where?" their father asked, his intense curiosity evident._

"_Endor."_

_They both looked rather unhappy at that revelation, as Cedric's attention flitted back and forth between the two of them, "So what then on this wandering path of his death?"_

"_She did something that makes me really not happy with the future."_

_Concern suddenly showed on his father's face, and a sense of foreboding settled into Cedric's stomach. "What?"_

"_She raped Cedric," he said, and the room erupted into chaos._

_When everything finally settled back into quiet, their mother asked Cedric, "Did you know about this?"_

"_No, I didn't," he said quietly, then turned to Luke. "She's pregnant, isn't she?"_

_Luke nodded, "Yes, how did you know?"_

"_I've been having dreams about the baby."_

_Luke sighed. "Do you think it was on purpose?"_

"_I have no doubt she got herself pregnant on purpose."_

_Luke nodded again. "That was what I thought, but you confirming it does help me make this theory more solid," he said, and turned his attention back to the question Their father had asked. "She wants the baby, and Maul found out about it. What do you think that would have happened then?"_

"_She would have either been subjected to some torture until she miscarried the baby, or told to get rid of it herself. The way of the Sith is not a pleasant one," Their father said._

"_While we were on Bothawui, something happened to Jasmine, she got really sick from taking in a great deal of dark energy, siphoning it off someone else in order to save that person's life, someone who was family, but we never found out who."_

"_I remember that," Cedric said. "We both thought at the time that it felt like Tann's energy."_

"_I think she was using the dark energy to fight Maul. It's the only thing that makes sense, if you try to fit all the pieces together."_

"_And since the baby is still alive, and she's running about free, the most logical assumption is that Maul is dead," their father said, and satisfied with the explanation, he slumped back down into position between the girls._

"_When I was dreaming about the baby, he had scars from the darkness that nearly consumed him." Cedric said, almost too quietly for their mother to hear him. _

_Luke was quiet for a time. "I don't know if she will continue in this fight. If she does, then we will fight her, and if she does not, then we will not. We have others to worry about, as well, I believe. Do you know of someone named General Grievous?" _

_Their father sat up, clearly biting back a string of curses. "Where did you hear that name?"_

"_From Tann."_

"_Sithspit," he said, and the word sounded like it had burned on his tongue. "That was about the last thing I wanted to hear. I think the actual last thing that I want to hear is that Tarkin is in charge of the Death Star."_

"_That name sounds familiar," Cedric said quietly. _

"_How familiar?" their father asked as his attention snapped to his younger son._

_He shrugged. "She's interacted with him. I don't know what he's in charge of, but there is something. She doesn't like him."_

"_I doubt he cares. He isn't in it to be liked. He's a madman, and quite capable of not caring who gets in his way, should he desire something, including entire planets."_

_Silence fell on the room as the somber mood took hold of the Skywalker clan. Their mother spoke up finally. "The Senate has fallen apart. There will be war."_

"_What happened?" Cedric asked before anyone else could._

"_The vote on the Fair Banking Act failed by one vote. Most of the Senators from the Outer Rim walked out," their mother replied._

"_And the Banking Clan, and their cronies, too. There were declarations of war on the floor of the Senate," their father added. _

"_So are we going to get involved?" Liz asked._

"_The Republic is in no condition to get involved at this point. The work that Cedric has been doing to help create a new Constitution will continue, and once that's done, hopefully we can convince the Outer Rim that they will be protected, and are just as important as the Core Worlds. I don't know how long that will take," their mother said._

"_It will be done as quickly as possible, but it must be done correctly," Cedric said._

"_How long do you think it will take?" Celia asked._

"_A few months, at least," he answered her, then turned to their mother, asking, "Do you know if any of the Senators from the Constitutional Committee have gone home?"_

"_Bail said a few of them have been recalled, but that they aren't leaving."_

_He nodded. "Do you know when we are going to get started again?"_

"_Bail has been trying to get everyone together, but it's been hard. I think tomorrow you might be able to get some work done."_

"_I hope so."_

"_The Jedi on Dantooine will be embroiled in battle soon. The first battalions of Clone Troopers will be sent there," their father said as he got up, "and I'm about to fall asleep, so I'm going to bed."_

_Liz was nearly in tears, and Cedric remembered that Fin, Obi-Wan's younger son, was there. "In a couple of days, I'll go out there. Leia should be ready to go by then. I'm taking Luke as well. Liz should come."_

_Liz sniffed and turned to him, confused. "Why should I go?"_

"_Because, I think you will be helpful."_

"_What help am I going to be, Dad? I don't know the first thing about battles."_

"_I don't know yet. If it goes badly, we will need help in coordinating everyone, getting people off the planet. You are quite good at that."_

"_I'll go, but I still don't understand why you want me along."_

"_That's fine. You'll figure it out when the time is right," he said, and headed off to his bedroom. _

Cedric thought back to the day he had learned how much his life had changed. And now he realized how much it hadn't. He still got up at dawn every morning. He still went to breakfast at eight. He still went to Senate at nine. He still did homework between everything else, and almost never got home before ten at night. Most nights he still slept at Master Ti's. He sparred occasionally with Jasmine after he got back to the Temple. He was better than she was, but she'd managed to beat him once now, and not with any of the little tricks she pulled in class, either. He knew how to defend against that.

And then there was Tann. He wasn't sure she would keep her promise to stay out of the war, but then again, she might. If she did, that was one less Sith that they would have to deal with. His father along with all of his older siblings, well, all of them except his twin, were headed for Dantooine now. No extras. Master Koon, Han, Mara, and Jasmine were all being left behind. Jasmine had been absolutely against the idea, but it wasn't something that either Luke or their father was going to relent on. She was too vulnerable, too young to risk putting her into battle. But then again, considering some of what had happened on Bespin, she would likely never go into battle.

* * *

_**Bright Hope Ranger**_**, En route to Dantooine, 39:6:19**

Luke sat in the common area of the _Bright Hope Ranger, _facing off against Leia in a game of Dejarik. Liz walked in, unacknowledged by either of them.

"What are you two doing?"

"Playing Dejarik," Luke answered absently.

"Who's flying the ship?"

"We're going to be in hyperspace for the next ten hours, Liz," Leia said, as she moved her Grimtaash to take Luke's Houjix.

"Where's Dad?" she asked.

Luke sighed, advancing his Ng'ok into a more advantageous position, though one he knew Leia wouldn't notice the advantage of until it was too late. "I don't know. He's somewhere on board the ship. I wouldn't go looking for him, though. He's brooding."

"What are you talking about? Daddy doesn't brood."

A look passed between Luke and Leia. "Leave him alone right now, Liz. He's…not himself," Leia said as she moved her Houjix up. If Luke wasn't careful, she would have him in four turns. He could get her in three, though.

"If he's not himself, then who is he?" Liz asked pointedly.

"You don't want to know the answer to that question, sis," Leia told her.

Liz frowned at her older twin siblings. "You look like Grandma Jobal when you do that," Luke commented.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"There are a lot of things we aren't telling you. It's really Dad's story. If he wants you to know, he'll tell you," Luke said, and he felt Liz's frustration rise as he looked at Leia again. A tiny smile crossed her face at the same time as he felt his own lips curl up. _How did we ever do what we did when we were her age?_

"I'm going to go find Dad, since you two are being obnoxious," she said.

Luke shook his head. "Elizabeth, we weren't trying to be all secretive on you. I'm sorry."

"So what was that amused grin about?"

"How we acted when we were your age. I'm amazed that we didn't kill ourselves," he said, the grin coming back.

"What would you guys have done to do that? I don't remember you being that wild."

Luke shook his head. "It's not important. But leave Dad be. He needs his space for the moment."

"Why? I don't like this; we've always been closer than this. The last few months you two have been like complete strangers," Liz asked.

Luke sighed and concentrated on the board for a moment, deciding finally to take Leia's Grimtaash out with his Kintan Strider. She was far too fond of the piece, and it wasn't going to cost him anything to do it. "You're right, but there ARE reasons we've been distant," he said, with sympathy coloring his voice. "So what are they? For goodness sake Luke you didn't tell Leia about proposing to Mara until I was there, what can't you tell me now?"

"I can't tell you, not without telling you Dad's story, and please don't ask him about it right now," Luke said, and his tone carried the order that they were.

"Why not?"

"He's preparing to go to war, Liz," Luke said, an almost pleading note in his voice for her to drop it.

"So are we, but I don't see either of you brooding about it. It's not like any of us knows what a battle is like."

Luke cut off a retort from Leia with a short move of his hand. "Bespin is battle enough, Liz. And Dad's been in more of them than I care to know about."

"And what do you have to say about it, Leia?"

"I was going to say something angry. It's not important," she said, releasing her anger into the Force, as she'd been trained for many years to do.

"Why are you two giving me the Padawan treatment all of a sudden? I'm not a child anymore," Liz said, finally giving in to her temper.

"That is enough, Elizabeth," their father said from behind her.

She flushed with embarrassment as she turned to him. "Sorry, Daddy. They won't tell me what's going on."

"Really. I wouldn't have thought that either of them would be petty enough to do that to you. They must have a good reason," he said. His force-signature and expression were both flat, void, and empty of the normal excess of emotion that he carried around with him.

"They won't tell me. I was asking about you."

"And what were you asking?"

"Why they think you were brooding."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, I imagine that would be because I am," he said, and Luke nearly laughed as her mouth dropped open. "Not that it matters. When have you known your siblings to lie to you?"

"Never, but they were being so evasive."

"For, I am sure that they told you, your own good?"

"No, they said it was a story for you to tell."

"Hmmm…I suppose they are right, and it is for your own good also, but you are devilishly curious, and I know that you won't leave this alone until your curiosity is satisfied."

"Thank you, Daddy," Liz said.

"Don't thank him yet, Liz," Luke said as he took Leia's K'lor'slug finishing the game.

"Why do you say that?" she asked Luke.

"Because, he hasn't told you what you are apparently dying to know. Thank him after he tells you."

She turned to look at their father, but all she got out of him was stony silence. "So what's going on?"

"I'm not the man who raised you, or rather I'm more than the man who raised you," he started.

"What do you mean, Daddy?" Liz sounded scared now and Luke felt her fear through the Force, he instinctively reached out to her with the Force but Anakin spoke up, "No, Luke, she needs to face this on her own."

"Yes, Father," he said flatly, and withdrew, "But her Master won't appreciate that."

"She'll understand," his father said.

"What's going on?" Liz asked.

"Hearing the story I'm about to tell you is your First Trial, and I'm sorry for the pain I'm about to inflict on you…" He launched then into the story of his previous life, leaving nothing out. It took the better part of four hours to go through and by the time he was done his daughter was pale, even the twins were shaken.

"I don't know what to say," she said.

"Definitely a better reaction than I thought you'd have," Anakin said.

"You couldn't have done those things…you're not like that!" Liz said, tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"All of us have the capacity for evil, Liz. Given the proper pressure at the right place," Anakin said.

"No! Only a monster could do all you said! If its true you are a monster!"

"I won't disagree with you, I am a monster and I've done horrible things, but you need to understand. I could have gone either way. I was too weak to resist the pressure Palpatine applied. You have to be aware of where you are weakest or you'll succumb just like I did."

"Why tell me? I'd rather not have known this," the tears now flowed freely.

"We are going to be going into battle. The emotions that feed the Dark Side are quick to join you in a fight, and the fact that I spent three years at war I KNOW weakened me further to Palpatine's manipulation. I don't want you leading the troops into combat without being aware of the risks."

Liz trembled at the thought of going into battle. "I'm not ready, Daddy," she said shakily.

"You are ready," he said authoritatively. "But I'm not going to dump you into battle without a little preparation."

"What kind of preparation?"

He waved off her question. "That is enough for today. We will talk about it when we get to Dantooine."

Luke was ready when Liz collapsed into tears as their father left.

* * *

**Somewhere on Coruscant, 39:6:20**

Sev'rance spent a good deal of her time researching the naming of a Chiss, a difficult task, considering she'd never been to Csillia. She had little else to do, since she had promised Cedric that she would not return to battle. She eventually dug up enough information to give her son a proper name: Merkoz'ere'tlekethertono. His father would call him Zeret Skywalker. He would not carry his family name as part of his Chiss name, but it was doubtful he would ever be anywhere that it would matter. Skywalker was a better name than she could give him, more influential, brighter. Among the things she discovered that her proper name was Tann'sev'rance, and she was even listed among the databases of the Chiss Ascendancy. Sev was what she would have been called. She thought again of simply giving herself up to the Jedi. It was something that Cedric had made clear that he wanted, though he hadn't asked her to do it. The Jedi wouldn't kill her, because of the child she was carrying, and she could see Cedric, and he might be able to convince them to let her see him every day if she wished. And she wished.

She sighed. It wasn't going to be that easy, no matter what daydreams she had to the contrary. Cedric didn't have enough power within the ranks of the Jedi to outdo the influence of others, especially those like his father, who would oppose her presence on principle if nothing else.

* * *

_**Bright Hope Ranger**_**, En route to Dantooine, 39:6:20**

Leia was somewhat leery of her father's seemingly jovial mood, even though he seemed to be in a genuinely good mood. She and her brother and sister had gathered in the hold again, waiting for his explanation of why they were going to Dantooine.

He looked at the three of them, and she thought she saw steel in his eyes, rather than the soft ocean blue she was used to, "Dantooine is one of the planets that spoke out against the IGBC in Senate. It is the most likely one that they will attack. If that planet can be overrun, then the IGBC has a chance to move the Jedi farther away from the front lines, out of their way." He set a larger holoprojector on the Dejarik table and turned it on. "The planets on the Outer Rim, here, in blue," he said, "Have all been affected by the IGBC's policies. All of them will likely be targets at one time or another."

"Is this what Cedric was working on for you while you were gone?" Luke asked with interest.

"Yes. He is good at this sort of thing. Big picture stuff, and being able to bring that into focus for those of us who are less big picture. It does help me do tactics to have this already done," he said, then returned to his narrative, "If the Temple at Dantooine falls, then the Jedi will either spread out over the whole of the Outer Rim, or retreat to the Temple at Naboo, or a combination of the two. I don't want to have to deal with figuring out which is best, so we will hold the Temple on Dantooine. There should be two squadrons of Clone Troops there when we arrive, and I expect that the Temple on Dantooine will have its own ideas about what is best, which we will do our best to incorporate into our strategy."

"What do you need us to do?" Liz asked. As the youngest and least experienced one of the four of them, she would need to have things laid out more clearly. Unfortunately, as the rest of them all knew, battle plans were subject to change at a moment's notice. Or less.

Their father smiled, though, having already thought about what she needed to be doing. "I wanted you along so that you could learn to coordinate. _I_ know that you will be very good at strategizing, planning and coordinating battles, but you must learn this for yourself, as well as how to apply your skills and trust your instincts. You will not be doing much this time out, but you will be prepared to lead at least some troops into battle the next time the event arises."

Liz was shocked by the entire notion, but not as shocked as she was by the tale he'd told them the day before, but still, when she opened her mouth to try to speak, nothing came out. "I'm amazed, Liz, that the daughter of the Chancellor is at a loss for words," he quipped at her, and her eyes narrowed as she turned his frustration on Luke.

"You knew about this, didn't you?"

"That depends upon what you mean by I 'knew,' my dear sister."

"You knew that he was going to do this. He wants to put me into battle," she said, fear overriding the anger she'd first shown.

"I was not informed of Dad's plans for you, no. But the way that you organize things inside your own head is similar to the way Dad does it. I can see how he thinks that you will be good as a field general. I had my suspicions when he asked you along that this was his intention."

"Now, Elizabeth, if you are quite done with your fear, please rid yourself of it. It is interfering with your lesson," their father said.

Chagrined, she released the negative emotion into the Force, "I'm sorry, Daddy."

"Good. I expect not to have to tell you that again. Your trials have started; you should know better."

"Yes, Daddy," she said, still chagrined, "Why am I having my trials now, so early? I mean, Leia just had hers a week ago."

"We do not question the will of the Force," he said, but she seemed to need more of an explanation. "When Leia was ready for her trials and when you will be are two completely separate events, judged by two different people, about two totally different people. Besides, Leia was judged ready for her trials months before she took them."

"I was?" Leia asked, surprised.

"You were still pregnant when that happened. It was decided that unless something catastrophic happened, you would be allowed to complete your medical leave before your trials. It was unfortunate that your Master never got to tell you," their father said gently.

"Then something catastrophic happened," Leia said glumly.

"Well, unexpected. I wouldn't say it was a complete catastrophe. But enough about that. Back to our strategy for the Battle of Dantooine."

"How do you know that it will be Dantooine that they first hit, Daddy?"

"I don't for sure, so we must be prepared to pick up and move to where the battle will be. Fortunately they will not be particularly well-organized or well-funded. That will help. Unfortunately, they will probably use more battle droids, instead of people, which means that they will commit more quickly to battles that they might have less of a chance to win than if they were actually using people. It will make our task more difficult, but not so difficult as to be insurmountable," he said, and he made a change in what the holoprojector was showing and continued with his explanation.

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Jade-Skywalker Quarters, 39:6:20**

Jasmine walked into her Master's quarters, reminded again that he wasn't home. He was on his way to Dantooine, or already there, and she hadn't been allowed to go. Mara was sitting in the common room when she came in. "Hi, sweetie, how was school?" she asked, not getting up. Not that Jasmine really blamed her. She was nearly as big as her mother, and Ardrya was more active than both the twins put together. Of course, it helped that she had more room.

"Ok, I guess," she replied glumly.

"Just ok? Usually you come in telling me about your exploits in Lightsaber Class. Did you lose again?"

"No, I won," she said, sighing as she flopped back into the cushions of her chair.

"I know you miss Luke, sweetie, but he will be home as quick as he can."

"It's not that. Master Windu promoted Orlin today. He's going to level three advanced Lightsaber class."

"That sounds like something you should be celebrating, not getting depressed over."

"But it means I won't get to see him anymore. And he's such a nerfherder about his technique. There won't be anybody to make him keep his elbows in."

Mara laughed, then said, "Well, maybe you can work really hard and get into L-3 pretty quick, so that you can take care of him."

Jasmine brightened instantly. "That's a really good idea, Mara. I gotta do homework first though. Cedric said he would spar with me later tonight, though, since he's most generally missing class."

* * *

**Dantooine, just outside the Jedi Temple, Clone Troop encampment, 39:6:20**

Anakin had very ambivalent feelings as they landed on Dantooine. The Clones were already there, he could see the ships from the front panel of the _Bright Hope Ranger._ He sighed, knowing that delaying wouldn't gain him anything. He still felt tired, very tired of war, and certainty that he was getting way too old to be doing this. He got up, headed to the back of the YT-1600, and down the ramp.

He walked over to the camp that was being actively set up as he moved toward them. "Who is in charge of this operation?" he asked curtly.

"Commanders CC-2134 and CC-2224, sir," replied the trooper he had stopped.

The designations sounded slightly familiar to him, but he was sure that he would be sick to death of strings of numbers and letters by the end of them month. He closed his eyes against the phantom pain he knew was going to turn all too real all too soon. "Get one of them for me."

"Yes, sir, may I ask who you are?"

"Anakin Skywalker," he said.

"Very good, sir. Master Wyn said you would be arriving. Let me say that it will be an honor to serve with you in battle."

Anakin waived the clone off, and he left to bring one of the commanders to his attention.

"You ok, Dad?" Luke said from behind him.

"I'm fine. I think I will be incredibly sick of people who are simply designated by numbers very quickly," Anakin said tersely. He was on pins and needles, and he knew he needed to calm down, but he wanted to get a feel for the Clone Commanders he would be working with first.

"Well," a clone said from behind him, "I don't suppose you want to hear my true designation then."

"Not really, no. You are a commander?"

"I am. You can call me Odd Ball if you like. It's what Alpha-17 likes to call me."

Anakin smiled. He liked Odd Ball. Odd Ball had been with him in the Second Battle of Coruscant. "Good. Odd Ball. What is the makeup of the two squadrons that have been sent here?"

"Oh, pretty standard, sir. Squad Seven is the Pilot squad you have. You also have three ground divisions, and two heavy armor squads. Oh, and an Engineering crew."

"Sounds like a good make-up. Did you happen to get particulars on when to expect more troops?"

"Yes, sir. There should be four more divisions this size by the end of the year."

"Good," he said. "You can go back to whatever you were doing. We can expect battle within the next two weeks, I think."

"As you say, sir," Odd Ball said, "Did you have need to go over tactics or strategy, deployment, anything?"

"Later," Anakin said. "I just got off the ship, and I think I need to meditate before I do anything else."

"Yes, sir. Shall I contact you in one standard hour?"

Anakin sighed, focusing for a minute, "No. Contact me in the morning. If you need anything further before then, I'm sure Master Wyn will be able to help you."

"Yes, sir. I will see you in the morning."

Anakin let a ragged breath out and trudged over to the Temple. He hadn't been kidding about the meditation.

* * *

**Dantooine, Jedi Temple, 39:6:20**

Liz walked through the halls of the Temple. It was quiet in the area that she was walking through, almost eerily so, as though it had been a very long time since anyone had traversed the corridors. She wasn't lost, though, because the maze of tunnels that made up the Temple here were laid out on the same pattern as the Temple on Coruscant. The building was mostly underground now, but that only made it feel homier to her. She had wandered into the section that mirrored what some of the other Padawans had dubbed Skywalker Hall. She thought nothing more and nothing less of it. It was simply home to her.

She felt another presence then, and turned to find Fin there. She hadn't seen him in months, practically since he'd been knighted. He had let his hair grow out, and it was turning to the darker red she could vaguely remember Obi-Wan having had before he'd gone grey. He did look a good deal like his father, though he'd finally grown an inch or so taller than Obi-Wan. His hand brushed the side of her face, and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked her.

"Have you ever realized that this Temple is built on the same pattern that the Coruscant Temple is?" she asked, wanting anything to talk about so long as it wasn't her trials, her father, or anything having to do with her trip to Dantooine.

"No, but it doesn't surprise me," he said, his blue eyes making her catch her breath, "Now I know you didn't come all the way out to Dantooine to examine the architecture."

She looked down, not wanting to let him see the horror she'd recently experienced through her father's words. "I am here to learn. I have an early day tomorrow, Fin," she said, trying to go, get away, not to break down on him.

He knew her better than that, though. As much as she tried to play the brave girl; to not let him know what was going on, there was still a deep connection that the two of them had shared for years, half of her life, at least. He gathered her into his arms, to comfort her, but there was no comfort that would make this particular pain go away. Tears of sorrow spilled out anyway, and she knew that she didn't have any way of making him understand, but she also realized he didn't need to understand. There would be time for that later. He stroked her hair, holding her, making her feel like she was the only important thing in the entire galaxy. "You're here to learn about battle techniques and strategy, aren't you?"

She nodded into his chest, and he asked, "Why?"

"I don't know. All I want to do is go home, and take care of the crèchelings. I don't want war, or fighting, or anything."

He didn't say anything in response, but just held her, letting her know without words that he would always be there for her. It took a long time for her to be ready to look at him again. "You are strong enough to do this, or else your father wouldn't be trying to push you into it," he said, and she nodded, taking a shaky breath. "And you know Luke wouldn't let anything bad happen to you."

"I think Luke is one of the bad things that's happening to me."

"Oh, don't be like that. Luke has been one of my best friends since the twins were born, practically. I know he has your best interest at heart, and with what I hear from Mom and Dad, he's actually learning to stand up to your dad."

She smiled, really not wanting to get into family business right then, and said, "You're right, neither of them would intentionally bring me to harm. I just don't like this."

"You don't have to like it. I doubt your dad likes it either, but the Council said he was the best strategist we have."

She nodded. "I think he is. I've learned a lot even just on the trip here," she said, sighing.

"You look tired," Fin said, "You should get to bed."

"I'll see you tomorrow, maybe," she said as she moved away from him, heading back to the room that she'd been assigned for the duration of their stay.


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: I know I've been aweful about getting this up, and you have been waiting, like forever for this, and here it is, finally. (I will accept the mental flogging that you want to do to me now.) **

**If you haven't noticed it, I've started to post Jae's journal in its entirety. hopefully you will read and like. I post that every friday if I can remember.**

* * *

**Dantooine, Jedi Temple, meditation chamber, 39:6:20**

Anakin sat in the meditation chamber. It was above ground, though much of the Temple was not anymore, so light filtered in through the window. It was like the Grand Master's meditation chamber on Coruscant, but it was subtly different. The carpet was not amber and brown, but shades of dark red and the light patterns reminded him of bloodstains, though perhaps that was mostly his imagination.

The cushions were dark orange, a shade which complimented the carpet, and the walls were a rather neutral shade of brown, and the ceiling was a pale, but vibrant shade of yellow. He sighed, settling onto one of the orange cushions and began to meditate, convinced that the room would hinder his not very considerable ability to do so in the first place.

"_A celebration of autumn, this room is."_

Anakin's eyes popped open, revealing the blue shimmering form of Yoda. "Master," he said in acknowledgement. "I am troubled."

"_See that I can."_

"I don't know if this war is the right thing, or if it is all that I know."

"_All that you know, it is not. Put to good use, your knowledge will be. Lay to rest your self-doubt, you must."_

"How do I do that?"

"_Know that already, you do. Doubt is an emotion as any other, though stronger for the long time it has been with you."_

"What about Liz?"

"_Her trials, she will face with the grace of a Skywalker, but her destiny lies not on the battlefield."_

"I know she doesn't want to be here, but neither do I."

"_Learn she must, the Art of War, but to teach to others, not to practice."_

Anakin bowed his head. "I can see the wisdom of your words, Master."

"_Not always have I believed you could, young Skywalker."_

Anakin smiled as he looked back up at Master Yoda. There would be people for whom he would always be 'young Skywalker.' "Why have you come back to me?"

"_Understand fully I now do, the changes you wrought with your trip back in time. Access I have to the memories of that sad reality."_

"Did we do the right thing?"

"_What was done is done. Only will time tell if it was best."_

"Yes, Master," he said, and Yoda's form faded from his eyes. He closed them and began to meditate, to rid himself of the doubt he had carried inside since Palpatine had planted it so many years ago.

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Jade-Skywalker Quarters, 39:6:21**

Jasmine had been meditating for an hour every night since she'd become a Padawan, but it was quickly coming to her attention that it just wasn't enough time for her. She sighed, not quite knowing how to approach the subject. Anytime she'd heard one of the other Padawans talking about meditation, which wasn't often, it was to complain because they felt like they didn't need as much meditation as their masters thought they did.

"Mara, sometimes do Padawans meditate more than what they're supposed to?"

Her sister seemed taken aback by the question. "Sometimes additional meditation is assigned for a while in addition to a punishment for some wrongs a few Padawans insist upon doing, why?"

"So it's not normal to meditate for more than an hour?" she asked, trying to not have to ask the question she wanted the answer to until she was more sure of the answer.

"Well, it depends on the individual. Master Yoda normally used to spend about ten hours in meditation each day, and I don't think your father does any, ever, unless he's tied down and forced to do it. Normal is usually somewhere in the middle, for most Jedi."

"So can I meditate more?"

"Why do you feel the need to meditate more?"

"I still feel so confused about what happened with Jaedrea, I don't know if I'll ever understand why she felt in necessary to do what she did."

"You might ask her or your father. He apparently explained what happened to the satisfaction of the Council."

Jasmine nodded. Mara's advice was sound. "What about meditating?"

"Well, it will mean you have to give up some of the time you use for something else."

Jasmine hadn't considered that particular aspect of needing more time for meditation. "Like what?"

"Well, to start with, you might try doing a more efficient job with your homework. I know I always had problems with managing my time when I was doing homework."

She thought about it for a little while. "I think I could maybe do that. Is there anything else?"

"I'd hate to cut into your free time without need. If it were punishment, I'd have no problem with it, but not for this, but it's somewhere you can take time from."

"What else?"

"Well, you did want to take that class with Qui-Gon on the nature of the Living Force. You could meditate in the mornings instead of that."

"But that class is like meditating anyway."

Mara looked confused. "Do you mean it's boring?"

"No. You've never taken one of Master Qui-Gon's classes have you?"

"No, I haven't. The Living Force wasn't ever something that interested me," she said finally.

"You should come. It's great fun. Master Qui-Gon isn't quite like anyone else that I know. He's fun."

"I'll think about it, but isn't it just for people who are adept at the Living Force?"

"No, there are some Masters in there, and they're the stogy stick-in-the-sand types that will never get it, but they are trying. Master Qui-Gon is patient with them but I can tell he thinks that they are all full of Bantha Poodoo. He sets them off to one side so they don't get in the way of the rest of the class seeing and learning, but I don't think that they realize that."

"So how many people are in this class?"

"Oh, twenty or so. There are only three that I would say wouldn't know the Living Force if it came up to them and started talking to them."

"Do you think Master Qui-Gon would want me in his class?"

"Sure. He seems real nice to everybody, 'cept when they don't pay attention."

"I'll think about it."

"Ok. I think Daddy is maybe going to teach a class like that after Master Qui-Gon dies."

Mara looked horrified. "Why would you say such a thing?"

"Well, death is a part of the Force. He is going to join the Force someday, and somebody is going to have to teach about the Living Force. I think it helps if you're alive to teach about that."

"Do you think he's going to die sometime soon?"

"Well, he might. He's kinda old. It's hard to tell. It's not in the next couple of days."

"You are always full of surprises for me, Jaz," Mara said, then turned serious. "Why don't you get your homework done, and then we'll see what we can do about your meditation?"

"Yes, Mara," Jasmine replied, sighing, and going over to the dining room table, pulling out her datapad, and starting to work in earnest.

* * *

**Dantooine, Jedi Temple, Mess Hall, 39:6:21**

Liz was not happy, nor it seemed was her breakfast. Her father had insisted that she eat, but she didn't really want to, now it seemed as if her breakfast would soon go back to being uneaten. Her father had done his best to convince her that this was no different than lightsaber training, but she knew this was different, a lot different. There was no pure defense in this, no just wearing out a foe until they surrendered; this would involve death. Granted the likely foes would be droids, but in attempting to destroy them, some of her very living troops would die. She sighed; at least this was just an exercise and not the real thing.

"Nervous?" she nearly jumped out of her skin as her father spoke, "It is unbecoming of a Jedi to be so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she is unaware of her surroundings," he teased.

"Daddy, I'm going to be horrible at this," Liz said, not for the first time.

"You are a Skywalker, battle is in our blood. We are warriors," he insisted again.

"Then why don't I feel like one? I don't want to see anyone die, or get hurt."

"Would you rather see the droid armies overrun this place and kill whomever they please?"

Her thoughts immediately turned to those who would be most helpless in a battle, "NO! Not the crèchlings," her eyes hardened for the first time since this whole exercise started.

"That is a warrior's spirit, my child. You don't want to fight, you hate having to, but you realize there are worse things than fighting for what you believe in."

She sighed, still not totally believing him. "If you say so, Daddy. Still, I wish you were in command instead of me."

"This is just an exercise and you need the experience of commanding troops. Now focus and tell me how you've planned out your defenses."

"I put your battalion in the center, Oddball and Cody are flanking you, Oddball is on your left and Cody is on your right. I've also ordered them to keep scouts out. I don't know where Luke and Leia are setting up, however the terrain seems to favor any assault coming from either the north or the west. The south is a possibility, but I didn't feel it likely enough to spread out our limited forces, so I had the troops mine those approaches. Fortunately we have a shield in place which rules out an orbital bombardment," she told her Father, and was really rather embarrassed as she had put this together in the ten minutes before breakfast and had given the orders to Oddball and Cody just before then.

"Good solid plan, however you might have come up with it sooner. The troops are going to be hard pressed to get the minefield laid before noon. Never assume you'll have time to build your defenses. However, it's a good solid plan with what resources you have."

"We'll see."

* * *

**Coruscant, Senate Rotunda, a small meeting room, 39:6:21**

Cedric was sitting in a small committee of the Constitutional Convention. Everything felt so stilted and formal to him now. He was sure of what he was doing, sure that this was the best thing for the Republic, but that didn't make things any easier. The larger group had broken up into five smaller groups, each centered around one of the constitutions that had been presented. He was, for obvious reasons, working with the group that had been in favor of the last one presented. His constitution. He was thirteen, and there were a good number of adults who supported a document he had written. Not only that, but this was the largest of the five groups.

In some ways, it was the most exhilarating thing he'd ever done in his life, and in some ways it was the most terrifying. He was a Jedi, the representation of the Temple here in these proceedings. He needed to be able to present a strong front and a good face for the Temple, but he wasn't sure how to do that. He felt so small when he considered that _he_ was the person that these politicians were looking to for leadership. He wasn't ready for this, or for any of a number of other things going on in his life.

He pushed the anxiety he was feeling into the Force, and he took a deep breath, realizing that everyone was waiting for him to start. "I think that this should be the basis of the new constitution," he said, holding his datapad up. "But I also think that some of the ideas that were presented by the other constitutions deserve to be looked at, and could easily be integrated into this document."

"What do you want to integrate?" an older, gruff man that reminded him of his Uncle Owen asked.

"From the first Constitution presented, Mon Mothma's, the way that representation is determined, the standardization, I think is something that we could use, and would really go a long way to making things more equitable."

"That Logarithmic scale?" one of the Senators from Coruscant, a larger Twi'lek man asked in horror.

"Yes," Cedric answered, and then explained, "It would make things more manageable. Mon Mothma's suggestion is to begin at a planetary population of 10 million, and give planets that are that size one senator. Coruscant and a couple of other ecumenopoli, like Dennon, would get 46, but that is a bit better than the two hundred thousand senators Coruscant would be allowed as what I've written would stand. I hadn't thought about the logistics of that particular aspect of things when I was putting this together."

He waited as they spoke among themselves about the change he proposed, sitting back and watching quietly as was his custom.

* * *

**Dantooine, Jedi Temple complex, battlegrounds, 39:6:21**

Luke and Leia didn't sleep at all; they knew they would be facing the greatest warrior in the history of the Republic, and they were determined to beat him. They settled on dividing their force and hitting in two places, Leia would take command of the larger force while Luke took the smaller force. Their plan was for Leia's force to hit from the north, frontal assault, preceded by a heavy artillery barrage, though this would be simulated, and wouldn't break up the defensive works as a real one would have, but hopefully taking down some of the defenders would force them to commit to that attack. The objective for them was to occupy the Temple and hold it for an hour, this was Luke's job with his smaller force; he would come up from the south, through the swamp. The plan was to start the battle at dawn, as the attacking force, Luke and Leia had the option of striking at any time, they chose early.

Luke and his force trudged through the swamp, it reminded him a little of Dagobah, but less gloomy. He stayed off the main paths through the swamp, figuring that his father would have made sure that those approaches would be well mined at the very least. That was when one of clones radioed in, "Contact with Op Force, repeat, contact with Op Force."

"Copy, contact with Op Force, what are they doing?" he said into his helmet mike.

"Mining the path, six squads, repeat, six squads."

"Are they responding to the attack?"

"Negative, they are continuing mining operations, permission to engage?"

Luke thought a moment, weighing the risks. They were still a kilometer from the open grounds around the Temple, and the last thing he needed was his surprise blown.

"Negative, stay clear and don't be seen," Luke ordered.

"Yes, sir."

They continued until they reached the end of the swamp, then stopped. The engagement was in full swing by the time they got there, and Luke smiled, _this is working perfectly_.

"CHARGE!" Luke screamed and his force surged forward toward the Temple, no opposition faced them at all, then about halfway across the field, Luke's armor seized up and he landed face first in the grass, his HUD displaying that he'd been killed by a shot to the head. Once he acknowledged his "death" the HUD displayed the whole of the exercise, and Luke, winced, they were losing, badly now. Leia's frontal assault was never going to breach the Temple and Luke's command structure had been completely taken out by snipers on the roof of the Temple. The remain rank and file troops, to their credit, kept trying , but the troops that had been laying mines were coming out of the swamp now and engaging his disarrayed force, by the time the fire fight was over, nearly his entire command was either dead, or stuck hiding from the snipers. Luke sighed, not looking forward to the debriefing.

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Skywalker Central, 39:6:21**

Celia was home early to talk to Cedric. He was only supposed to be at the Senate for half a day, because there were some business meetings that needed to be conducted, though few people had any respect for the Republic's government structure any longer. Most of the Core and a majority of the Mid Rim still followed the will of Coruscant out of habit more than anything. However the disintegration of the government was the last thing on his sister's mind.

"Why won't you talk about this?" she asked.

"I'm not sure what you are even asking about," he said with a sigh, though he knew what she most likely wanted to know.

"You, who would be Jedi, can't talk about your feelings?" she teased.

Another sigh, "Yup. You know I don't talk about them, sis."

"But I want to know. What's it like knowing you're going to be a parent?"

"Why don't you ask Luke?"

"It's not the same," she said with a look that said he wasn't getting out of it.

"Why do you want to know so bad?" he asked, the first step to him caving in to her.

"Because, I do," she told him, and she was so earnest about it that he couldn't resist her much longer.

"I don't see why, my situation is not one you'll ever face, at least you won't if there is any justice in the universe," he protested.

"So you aren't going to tell me anything?" she asked, knowing that she had him.

Cedric was quiet for a long moment, "I'm scared," he said finally, "I know I won't be the principle care giver for this child, which frightens me, and I also know I'll be the one responsible if he becomes a Sith. I don't think Sev'rance wants to turn him right now, but she's walking perilously close to falling again. If she falls, and takes my child with her and I can't redeem him…" unshed tears hung in his eyes. His sister hugged him.

"You won't face that alone," she assured him.

"Yes I will, I'll have too." That statement stunned his sister into silence. He shared the silence until he couldn't take it any longer. "That's one of the things I've seen in my nightmares."

"Cedric…"

"I know, I can't let visions run my life, but it's so hard not to think about what she might do."

"I know. But it's all mights and maybes. She hasn't done it yet," she said, trying to be positive, to bring Cedric out of his dark mood.

"I shouldn't have to do this. I shouldn't be frightened because of what's already happened to my son, even before he's born. I wish I could just have a normal life."

Celia took a moment to answer. "You wouldn't be a Skywalker then."


	4. Chapter 3

**AN: So finally, finally, finally the third chapter. On my birthday, even. As I've been promising. It's 14 pages long, so not the absolute longest piece I've put out, but getting up there. I try for around ten.**

**To my faithful readers: Sentrosi, **sonha, **lgfrommk2931, **Teresa, **TriGemini, **killing u with umbrellas, **Charlie Hayden, **sweetchica55, **ElusiveMaverick, **Sidious Sith, **bolt 32, **and starwarssomeone.

**And a special thank you to Charlie Hayden who pointed out that I'd missed some stuff while doing my final edit and correct. **

**You guys have kept me going, even when it got rough. I should be able to keep up better this summer, and hopefully, I can bring this story to a satisfying conclusion. READ ON...**

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Skywalker Central, 39:6:23**

Jasmine was waiting when Jaedrea got home. Jae had become increasingly obsessed with regaining Julia's trust, but confronting her sister about it was about the worst thing Jae could be doing. _Not that that's anything unusual._

"Hi, Jaz," Jae said as she came in to their parents quarters, trying to act casual.

Jasmine arched an eyebrow at Jaedrea. "Hi, Jae," she said, crossing her arms over her chest, making the scar Jae'd given her clearly visible. "Jul's not here."

Jae turned scarlet, but said nothing.

"You can't push her on this, Jae. She's not ready to accept and deal with what happened."

Jae bit her lip, showing her nervousness in a way that she never before had. "I just want my sister back. How can you stand there and say I can't have that?"

Jasmine looked down for a moment, searching for the right words to convince her sister that she did know what she was talking about. "I want the two of you on speaking terms as much as anyone, but if you push her right now, the only thing you are going to do is push her further away, and disrupt what little progress I've made by talking to her."

It seemed that Jae actually _listened_ to what she said, rather than just glossing over it or just hearing what she wanted to hear. "You're trying to help?"

She made a derisive noise. "I'm trying. Julia doesn't want my help, though. You know how stubborn she can get."

Jae looked down, "I know. But what can I do about it?"

"Nothing. That's the best thing you can do for Julia right now."

Jae was stunned into silence for long enough for Jasmine to decide to change the subject. "What happened, Jae? Why do we even have to be having this conversation?"

Jae looked almost frightened by the question. "I don't know, you know that. I don't remember," she said slowly.

Jasmine looked sympathetically at her sister. "Oh, Jae," she said as she tried to think of something to say, then she hit on a memory. "Master Luke says it's ok to be scared."

Surprise colored Jae's features, and she asked, "He does?"

"He says it's ok as long as you don't let the fear take over," she said, gently putting her arm around Jae's shoulders.

Jae didn't answer for a long time. "How do I do that?" she asked finally, sounding very small.

"You fight it, Jae. You stand up to your fear and you say 'I understand why you're here, but now you need to go away.'"

Jae giggled, "That's silly."

Jasmine looked her in the eye, and said, "It works, though. I promise."

"Ok, so now what?"

"I want to know what happened, Jae."

"Oh," Jaedrea said. "I guess we can go find out."

"What do you mean?" Jasmine asked, confused.

Jae shook her head. "I write every night in my journal. I have since Mom gave them to us. That's how Daddy and Obi-Wan found everything out, and decided it wasn't exactly my fault."

"And they gave it back to you?"

"Yeah. I haven't read it though. I thought it would be really scary to do it, and I'm kind of scared that I might agree with what I wrote."

"Being afraid of it isn't going to help you with it, Jae. Let's go look at it."

"Alright, Jaz," she said, and they headed for the door. Julia was just coming in as they passed the sofa. "Hey, Jul. We're going over to Master Obi-Wan's, come on, Jaz," she said, tugging Jasmine's arm.

"Alright, I'm coming," Jasmine said with a laugh. She wasn't sure that her sudden enthusiasm was more than an act, but it served to pique Julia's curiosity.

"What are you going to do over there?" she asked, directing her question at Jasmine.

"Read something," she answered, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure you would be bored to tears."

Julia nodded as Jasmine passed her. "We'll do something later, ok?"

"Sure, Jaz," Julia said as the door closed behind them. Jae let her go without her having to ask.

"I don't know about this," Jae said.

"You have to be persistent with fear, Jae. It likes to sneak back up on you again and again."

Jae nodded, taking a couple of deep breaths. "Are you sure it's ok to be scared?"

"Why don't you ask Uncle Obi-Wan?"

"Ok, I will."

They found the right door, and Jae let them in. Aunt Siri wasn't there, and neither was Uncle Obi-Wan. "Where is everybody?"

Jae shrugged. "Sometimes I don't see Master Obi-Wan until dinner, but usually Aunt Siri is here," she said, heading into her room. There was a note on the bed. Scanning it quickly, Jae said, "She says she's helping in the crèche because Liz is gone, and we're going to Dex's for dinner."

"Lucky."

"You could probably come, and bring Mara, too. Master Obi-Wan says much nicer things about her than he does about me and Daddy," Jae said with a wrinkle of her nose.

"I'll ask. Did you want to wait here while I go see?"

Jae nodded. "I can wait."

Jasmine went to her quarters, checking inside for Mara. "Mara?"

"In the kitchen," she heard Mara say, presumably from that location.

"Oh," she said as she rounded the corner so that she could see inside. "Master Siri is helping with the crèche, so she isn't cooking tonight. Do you think Uncle Obi-Wan would mind if we went with them to Dex's?"

"Does Master Obi-Wan know that he's going to Dex's for dinner?" Mara asked.

Jasmine shrugged. "Aunt Siri left a note on Jae's bed."

"Well, we can ask, and if the answer is no, then we'll eat here, how's that?"

"Fine, Mara. I'll be over at Uncle Obi-Wan's until dinner if that's ok."

"Fine. You know the time until dinner is yours."

She nodded, and went back to Jae. She was sitting on her bed with her journal in her lap.

She smiled encouragingly at her sister as Jae looked up when she walked into the room. "Are you ready?"

Jae nodded shakily. "I'm ready," she said, her voice a little more steady.

Jasmine sat down beside her, waiting for her to open the book. Jae took a deep breath, and then opened it.

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Skywalker Central, 39:6:23**

Cedric had avoided his twin for a couple of days, not that it was terribly difficult, and not that he hadn't spent the last year doing just that, but he'd let her catch him, off guard, unaware. She had sought him out, and he had been home when she did. But there was this gnawing inside of himself that she had put there. What she had said was getting to him. _You won't face that alone…_She didn't know what she was talking about. He always faced anything to do with _her_ absolutely alone. Except when Luke was home. Except when he found the courage to bring it up with his father. But both of them were gone, on Dantooine, practicing for war, training his oldest two sisters in the fine art of Jedi General and troop-leader. He couldn't share with them, but Celia was trying to be understanding. And she was his twin; she should know what he was going through, even if he didn't quite understand everything himself. Whenever he thought about _her_, the multitude of emotions that he felt threatened to overwhelm him. He hadn't known that so many emotions could be contained within a single person and them not explode before.

He sighed, staring sightlessly at his homework. It wasn't going to get done with him in the particular mood he was in. He got up from his bed, and straightened the front of his robes, and headed for the Healer's Hall, so that he could talk with his twin, the only person available who could remotely understand what he was feeling.

"Good afternoon, Master Skywalker," a boy of perhaps six said as he scampered out of the door, headed back to class, from the look of it.

"Good afternoon," he said, but he was both too preoccupied and he hadn't spent any time in the crèche lately to make friends with the Initiates.

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Kenobi Quarters, 39:6:23**

Obi-Wan was somewhat surprised by the turn of events during the day. He'd been busy, and hadn't talked to Siri at all, or to Jaedrea, for that matter. He came home to something of an unusual sight. Jaedrea and Jasmine were dissecting some reading material in her bedroom, and his wife was nowhere in sight. "Jaedrea, where is Siri?"

"She went to help at the crèche, Master," Jae answered, and then turned her attention back to what the two of them were doing.

"Did she happen to say why she would be down there?"

"Because Leia and Liz are gone, there aren't as many staff members and then Kitster and Sabé are down there all the time," Jasmine answered.

"Just what are the two of you up to?"

The two of them looked up at the same moment, in the way that Anakin's children seemed to have of being much more alike than he was comfortable with. "I'm helping Jae with this," Jasmine said. He realized then what they had: her journal. Something he had hoped she would never have to look at again, she was revisiting, probably because Julia wasn't coping with the situation at hand. Jasmine watched him until he had processed through the thoughts, intense concentration in her dark blue eyes. Only when he was finished did she ask, "Would it be alright for Mara and me to have dinner with you tonight?"

He thought for a moment, and having no immediate objections spring to mind he said, "I see no reason that you cannot," he said with the twinkle in his eye he got anytime he teased any of Anakin's children.

She nodded, and then went back to the study of the journal, and he tried to puzzle through the odd situation he was finding himself in. His formerly boisterous, energetic Padawan had become subdued to the point of listlessness, and her sister, her opposite, in many, many respects, had become the spokesperson for the little trio, and yet she was still the peacemaker, and now the most outspoken of the three, but the change was especially apparent when dealing just with Jae and Jasmine.

Jasmine had by no means taken on Jaedrea's reckless streak, but had gained a quiet confidence that spoke volumes about the Jedi she could become. She could be many things her sister would have a very difficult time learning to be, and they would come easily to her. She was going to be a very interesting person to watch in the coming years.

"Master?" Jaedrea's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes, Padawan?"

"I want to ask you about some of the stuff in my journal. Can we do that after dinner?"

Obi-Wan looked thoughtful and surprised at the same time.

"I think that would be a good idea Jaedrea, you do me proud facing your fears like this," He knelt down and enveloped her in a hug which she returned with all the urgency of a scared nine-year-old girl.

"Thank you, Master," she said, sobbing with relief into his shoulders, Obi-Wan knew this would be a night of many tears.

He heard the front door to his quarters slide open then, and glanced over, seeing his wife walking through the door. "Mara and Jasmine will join us for dinner, if you don't mind."

"No," she said with a smile. "That's fine. I haven't had a chance to talk with Mara for some time."

"How was your day?"

"Rough. I really appreciate having grandchildren again, and not having children that young anymore."

"You don't have to…"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi, you of all people should know better than to say something like that. I'm just not used to it, that's all."

And so Obi-Wan uttered the phrase that had saved countless marriages in numerous galaxies across the universe. "Yes, dear."

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Healer's Hall, 39:6:23**

Celia was surprised to see Cedric walking into the Healer's—she practically had to drag him down with her when he had to have his yearly check-ups, and he was too conservative to get hurt the way most younglings and Padawans did, and so he was almost never in the Healer's. She puzzled at what he could be wanting for a moment, deciding that he could only possibly want to talk to her. Her heart soared as she wondered if he might possibly be taking steps to not bottle up his emotions in an unconstructive way, and be asking for help.

"Cedric," she said gently, "What are you doing here?" she asked, not wanting to assume anything with her twin.

"I kinda wanted to talk to you. Do you have some time?"

She nodded. "Let me ask Master Allie, and I should be able to talk to you for a little bit."

He nodded back to her, slipping back into silence. It was a more standard response from him. She sighed as she went back into the office she shared with her Master. "I'm going to go talk to Cedric for a while, Master, if you don't need me."

"That will be fine. I will let you know if there is something that I need for you to do," she said with a smile. Cedric had been a very heavy topic of late for her, so there was no real need for her to explain further.

"Thank you, Master. I'll be back when we are finished."

"Take all the time you need, Padawan," Master Allie replied, then returned to the datapad she had been working on, and Celia returned to her twin.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked him, knowing that he'd probably even gone to the point of scripting responses for her inside his own head, he planned things out so much.

"Why don't we go to the Room of a Thousand Fountains? I think I need a bit of room to move about."

"Cedric, pacing? Isn't that more Dad's style?" she teased.

He smiled a little as they left the Healer's. "I suppose, but I can occasionally do things his way."

It was a short trip to the bottom level that was commonly used in the Temple. There were further levels down, but the only ones in use were storage, and maintenance and the like. "It's so peaceful here," she commented, rarely having the chance herself to set foot in the room.

"Especially since Master Yoda died. They have changed some of the Fountains and some of the layout of the plants since he died. There are many more retreat spots now. It's less open."

"You're down here a lot, aren't you?"

He nodded, looking down at the path, walking slowly. She let him have his silence for a while as they walked, and at a juncture that seemed to present many options, he instead headed off the path, to one of the small secluded areas he had previously mentioned. Once they got through the small opening he indicated, they were in an enclosed area about the size of their common room. She was surprised by how big the area was, it really hadn't looked that big on the outside, and besides there were five paths converging right there, there shouldn't have been room for an area the size of their common room. Their common room wasn't _that_ big, but still.

She settled down on the bench just to one side, knowing that Cedric would take whatever time he needed, if she could just be patient enough. At least that was what her Master had said. She folded her legs up underneath her, and set her chin on one knee and waited. She waited for him to be ready to tell her what he wanted her to know. He sighed. She waited for him to start, but he just paced another lap.

"Are you going to say anything?" he asked her finally.

"If you need me to."

"I'm not sure where to start, Sis."

"What do you think about the baby?"

"I think that he adds a dimension to things that is going to make life more difficult for both of us. He's not going to have it easy no matter what. I'm scared for him. He shouldn't be involved in all of this. I'm afraid of what is going to happen to him, whether I can be there for him enough, whether I can trust her enough to do what's best for him, whether she can take care of him. She can barely take care of herself, for Force's sake."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to do what I can. She listens to me, at least on some things. Maybe I can talk her into doing things that will make life easier on the rest of us. Maybe I can talk her into letting me take him. I doubt it, though. I think I'm going to have to fight her for any significant change that I want her to make. She's not easy to get along with."

"Would you be satisfied with someone who was?"

"I doubt it," he said, then laughed. "I sometimes miss the way Dad used to be. He's been different since…"

"Since Luke got back from chasing her down," Celia supplied.

Cedric nodded. "That's right. I know that everything isn't exactly perfect between the two of them, but that's the kind of relationship I want, when I'm ready to start thinking about that, but Dad's so…different, now."

"I don't know why, though."

"He used to tease Mom so much that she'd get mad at her, but he doesn't do it anymore," he said, continuing on as though he hadn't heard her comment, "He's…different."

"I've noticed. Everybody's noticed. Nobody says anything, though," she said.

He shrugged, and she knew he probably had a reasonably good idea of what was going on with the two of them, but he didn't know how to say so or wasn't supposed to say anything. "Do you think it's a good change, or a bad one?" he asked her, redirecting her attention to another aspect of their parents' relationship.

"He's quieter. I don't think he's happier, but sometimes, I see him looking at Mom like she's the most beautiful thing in the room. He didn't used to do that."

"I think he forgot how, and got reminded," Cedric said, and that was probably the closest that she was going to get to how her father had changed, at least for a while.

"Maybe," she said, ducking her head. She wanted someone who would look at her like that, someday. "Are you going to change, when he's born?"

"I think so. I don't know exactly how, though. I'm not going to stop being your brother."

"No, but it's another thing that you have to be to someone else. Are you ready for it?"

"I don't know. I think so, at least partly. I have to be ready to be his father, because I'm the only one that he's got, and is ever going to have."

"I want to help you, but I don't know how."

"I don't know how you can help out either. I will let you know when I figure it out," he said, and she looked at him and realized that she was already doing the most important thing that she could be doing. She was listening to his fears and she wasn't judging them. In his place, she would probably not be holding up nearly as well as he was doing.

"I want to be here for you, Cedric. I won't abandon you," she told him.

He smiled at her. "I know, and I've been abusing our relationship. I know that you are the one person that I can never leave behind, and I've been shutting you out because I don't know how to deal with what's going on."

"Whenever you need me, I'm here for you. Master Allie knows how important it is."

"She probably knows everything, right? I mean, she's on the Council, and she has you, so she's pretty much got all the gory details in, doesn't she?" Cedric asked, sounding a bit frustrated, and sad, but he wasn't holding onto the deep-seated anger like he had been up until Luke started talking to him.

"I suppose you could look at it like that, but it also means that she understands how much support you are going to need, and that Dad and Luke are away, so you really don't have anybody to talk to. I know there's Mom, but she isn't exactly what you'd call motherly."

"I wouldn't want anyone else. She's the best mom in the galaxy. Just because she doesn't bake cookies and stay home doesn't mean anything. If I want cookies, I'll go to Aunt Siri's. I know where she hides the sweets jar."

Celia grinned. She hadn't known that, or that Cedric knew. "Where?"

He grinned. "Behind the cans of Corellian Fal leaves."

"Ew. No wonder none of us could find them."

"Aunt Siri is good at understanding how kids work. Either that or she hid them there out of desperation when Fin and Dan were little, and no one else has ever found the hiding spot. I think I was five when I found the jar."

"I would guess that's more likely," Celia said, laughing. Neither of the two of them had much reason to be over to Aunt Siri and Uncle Obi-Wan's anymore, but she wasn't going to forget when she was. She did have enough self-restraint to not eat more than a couple of sweets at a time, anyway.

She sighed contentedly, and he said, "I do need to get some homework done, but I couldn't settle down to it. I think I'm going to be able to do that now."

"Glad I could help, little brother. Let me know if you need me, whenever," she said, getting up.

"I will. You are the best, Sis."

"I know," she said, but she was teasing, and they both started laughing. He led them out of the Room of a Thousand Fountains, and they went back to their work, both more at ease with what life had in store for them.

* * *

**Dantooine, Jedi Temple, dining hall 39:6:23**

Anakin was still brooding, not that many people outside his family would have been able to tell. Luke and Leia seemed to be avoiding him based on his mood, but he didn't really blame them. He wouldn't have wanted to be around himself if he'd had a choice either. Several Knights who seemed to idolize him had made him more than a bit uncomfortable, but he made them clear out when he saw Liz headed his way. He wasn't really in the mood to talk to Liz, but he _really_ wasn't in the mood to talk to a bunch of star-struck youth.

Not that Liz seemed aware of his mood. That bothered him, that Luke and Leia were so acutely aware that he was in a bad frame of mind, and Liz seemed to want to seek him out, either in spite of, or worse, because of his mood. He shoved the grumbling part of himself down into one of the many holes in his mind, and he forced a smile on his face.

"Hi, Daddy," she said cheerfully as she sat down. She'd been moody since her trials had begun, and he was grateful that it didn't seem to be affecting her too much at that moment.

"Hello, kitten. Did you want something in particular?"

"I wanted to ask you about your trials, and how you handled them."

His smile faded as he became serious. "I don't think I handled them well, personally, but a better person to ask might be Master Obi-Wan."

"He's not here, Daddy, and you are. I need you to help me through this," she said, serious suddenly.

He raised his eyebrow at her, but she didn't give. He frowned, and said, "You are supposed to be doing this on your own. You shouldn't need more help."

"Sometimes knowing what to do means admitting that you can't do something alone."

He smiled, and she smiled back, lighting up her face brilliantly, her green eyes flashing merrily at him. "Alright, but only because you are much smarter than I was at your age. There are four trials. First is a trial of the loss of your innocence in some way. If you don't make it through that one, most of the time the Force lets you try again."

"So did I pass that?"

"Yes, though I did have much trouble learning that particular aspect of my training."

"You failed your first trial?"

"In one way or another I failed every one of my trials at least once. That's the secret to the trials: you must face them again and again, and even when you pass, the test gets thrown at you again in a different form."

"Why do we do it, then? Why do we become Jedi?"

"If we didn't, who would? There would definitely not be peace in the galaxy if we weren't around to ease tension."

She nodded at the wisdom of his statement. "What else?"

"There is the trial of skill, an easy one, usually, at least for those in the Skywalker Clan. It's later that they get tougher. There is also a trial of courage, and one of wisdom."

"How do you know what's what, and when your trials are?"

"You don't, not really. It's rather an arbitrary thing, in my opinion. When your master thinks you are ready, or the Force requires it, you face your trials. Your master has declared that you are nearly ready for your trials, though I don't think this is quite what she had in mind. The Council has permitted me a bit of leeway on this, so your trials will come in the form of combat. Sometimes you can affect the trials, and sometimes you can't."

"I'm scared, Daddy."

"That's good, you should be afraid, just remember to USE your fear, and don't let it be a distraction. Let your fear increase your perceptions and your reaction times so you can use the Force for other things," her father said.

"That sound awfully close to the Dark side…" she said biting her lip, concern for him spilling into her voice. He chuckled.

"I suppose it might to one who isn't a Master. The difference is subtle in comparison to the Sith teachings, which I know all too well. Of course the teachings of the Sith are very close to the teachings of the Jedi. Something of a dark mirror, it's one of the Sith's recruiting tools, I think. Fear is natural, so is anger, the Sith use them as weapons. Fear is a useful tool, it is a physiological reaction to danger, and you can't stop it from happening, same with anger. The trick is not to act FROM the emotions, but to USE the emotions for their natural purposes, but no more than that," Anakin said.

"I don't understand," Liz said.

"All emotion is the same, only the circumstances that bring it on make it different. The triggers of emotion are what make an emotion pleasant or unpleasant. Anger fundamentally has the same feeling as love does, the symptoms of both emotions are identical, yet we say one is positive and the other is negative. That is a misconception, just as much evil can come of love as evil and just as much good can come from anger as it can from love. I fell to the dark side because I loved too much."

"I don't understand."

"I love your mother more than life itself, Liz. I love all of my family more than my own life. That now extends to most of the Order itself; however things were much different last time around. You know from your history classes what the Order was like before the Great Change, so let me tell you what it was like for a little boy, from Tatooine that missed his mother terribly. After Master Qui-Gon's death, Obi-Wan took me as his apprentice. This fact I think is why Yoda insisted that he do so this time around also, and there were other factors that went into that decision, but I digress. Obi-Wan loves me as a son, a brother, I'm his best friend and he is mine. We would do anything for each other. This was true the first time around also, but Obi-Wan, because of the Order's rules, didn't show me just how much he cared. I think he gained a great amount of understanding of me when he met me, the redeemed Sith Lord, thirty-six years ago. But originally growing up I was starved for demonstrated affection, and any praise that he gave me I lapped up in place of that," tears lit his eyes, unshed and he paused for a few minutes then continued, "You can't imagine what it is like to go from being tucked in at night by a mother you know beyond a shadow of a doubt loves you with every fiber of her being, to being made to go to bed with just a 'Sleep well, Padawan, tomorrow will be busier than today.' Good advice yes, but not what I needed, and I wasn't about to ask for it, even if I had known at the time what I was missing, or could put it into words. Even when I would have nightmares, there was no comfort from Obi-Wan, not the kind I needed. Qui-Gon wasn't there to advise either of us, and the orders rules forbid him from being that close to me, and he followed the rules as much as he could, thinking that because he followed the rules, he was a good Jedi, and he was, or is. The old rules just didn't work for me. So I turned to Chancellor Palpatine. Palpatine was like a favorite uncle to me, I could talk to him about things that I could never bring myself to talk with Obi-Wan about," Anakin paused again.

"Well, at least you had someone," she said, but he shook his head with a sad smile.

"Sweetie, who was the Senator who caused the Massacre at the Senate?" Anakin asked, with a hint of mild amusement in his eyes, Liz, seeing that realized for the first time just how complicated her father truly was, she thought for a moment and hung her head.

"He was the Sith Lord. Senator Palpatine from Naboo?" she asked, as though it wasn't the name of the man who'd held her father's soul captive for twenty-three long years. Because to her he wasn't. He was someone who'd died years before she was born, and she'd grown up safely unaware of his importance.

"Yes," he confirmed for her, "And while if Finis Valorum had taken me under his wing it would have been a good thing, when a Sith takes an interest in you, hold on to your soul cause he will steal it. He stole mine and it wasn't easy to get back. To continue, because there is a point to this, things went on like that for a while, then there was an assassination attempt on the new Senator from Naboo. Obi-Wan and I were asked to protect her. Of course that Senator was your mother. I had been half in love with her since I was nine, now that I was a strapping lad of nineteen, with all the inherent pitfalls associated with that, I fell the other half in love with her. I still remember that day like it was yesterday, she looked so beautiful. Ten years had past since I had last seen her and neither one of us were the children we were then. I think she was as taken with me as I was with her at the time, but your mother has always been the more practical of the two of us. I'm digressing again. I'm trying to get to a point, but I keep getting lost in memories."

"It's ok. I'm getting used to it, I think."

He nodded. "The end of the Clone Wars is where I'm really headed here. I found out that Palpatine was the Sith Lord we were looking for, but unfortunately he'd been working me over well before that. I had been having nightmares about your mother dying in childbirth. Now that I think about it I wonder if Palpatine didn't influence those dreams somehow," he said, pausing slightly at the thought, "He seemed to know about us and I had told no one that we were married. I was scared, and he offered me the one thing I couldn't even ask of the Jedi Order. A way to save her. Because of that, when the time came to make the irrevocable choice, I chose wrong. Mace was going to kill Palpatine and I stopped him, allowing Palpatine to kill him. I realized that I had made a horrible mistake, but instead of correcting that error then and there I compounded it by assuming that there was no turning back, besides at the time the only thing that mattered to me was saving your mother. Then Palpatine had me take the 501st clone trooper legion to the Jedi temple to slaughter the Jedi. It was after that that I truly couldn't turn back. That is how love can be just as destructive as hate. It is a lesson you should take to heart. Things are better now because the Jedi have been strengthened the support structure for all of us, indeed that is why your grandmother is still alive," he finished.

"I think I understand," Liz said, surprised at just how much pain her father had been through.

"Now do you understand a little of why I want you here, and not at home? I know you're stronger than you've been required to be. You are here because of everything I've been telling you."

She looked down for a moment, gathering herself. "I can do it," she said as she looked back up at him.

"That's my girl. I'll see you later tonight," he said, getting up and taking his tray with him. "I'm going to go meditate."

* * *

**Coruscant, Coco Town, Dex's Diner, 39:6:23**

Jaedrea wasn't sure that she was going to be able to talk much during dinner, there were so many things running through her head, but as they walked into Dex's, she got caught up in the excitement, and she was demanding Dex's attention as he came out to see what the commotion was.

"Well, Miss Jaedrea. How have you been? I haven't seen you in months, I don't think."

"Yes, it has been a while hasn't it?" Obi-Wan asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I've missed you, Dex," she said to him, wondering how he'd ever gotten as big as he was. One of his limbs was as big around as she was in the middle.

"And Mara? I haven't seen you or your mate in a good long time."

"We've been a bit busy, Dex," Mara said, her hand on her stomach. It really didn't seem like it had been very long at all since she'd seen Mara no where near as pregnant looking as she was now.

"And the littlest of them all, though not for long from what I hear," Dex said to Jasmine. "And you've been braided, too. Who's your new Master?"

Jasmine looked up at Dex. He'd been around since well before even Daddy had come to the Temple, and known Master Obi-Wan at least as long as he'd been in business down here in CoCo Town. "Luke is my Master."

He seemed surprised at that. "Really, little one? Your brother?"

She nodded in agreement.

Dex looked at Jasmine sympathetically. "You miss your master, little one?"

She nodded. "Master Luke is probably going to be gone for a long time. Maybe a couple of years."

"Probably not that long, Jasmine," Obi-Wan said. "I think he'd want to be home long before then, and possibly you can go out with him in a year or so, after you've gotten into your training a bit more. I'm sure that would be acceptable to Luke if this war is still going on then."

She ducked her head shyly and blushed. Jaedrea was surprised she'd said anything at all, but maybe she was doing the same thing with talking to people that Jae was having to do with facing what she'd been through since their birthday. No matter how absorbing what she was doing was, her mind never strayed far from the Journal or her brush with darkness. She shook her head, having gotten lost in thought, and found she was being propelled forward by her Master's hand towards their usual table, though it usually only seated four. Siri slid into the seat, followed by Mara, and then she understood. She and Jasmine were still little enough that the two of them together could count for a regular person. Jasmine got into the booth, and she scooted in after her, and her Master trapped both of them in, not that either of them were likely to misbehave at Dex's, of all places. She would be grounded for the rest of her Padawanhood, at least. He might even take her out of Flight class. That would be truly horrible. They ordered before they settled into talking. Dex had gone back to the kitchen at some point between her mind wandering and them sitting down.

After the droid waitress left with their order Aunt Siri asked Mara, "So how are you feeling with this new one on the way?"

"Fine, Master Siri. She's not too much in the way, though I imagine I may change my mind in the next two months."

"That's to be expected. Will they let Luke come home for her arrival?" she asked, looking at Master Obi-Wan as she said it.

"If that can be done it will be, Siri, you know that."

She nodded in acknowledgement. "Are you girls excited about your niece?"

"Yes, Master Siri," Jasmine answered quietly.

"Yes, Master Siri," she echoed her sister a beat later.

"You are both so quiet today, are you sick?"

"No, Aunt Siri, we're fine. Just thoughtful," Jasmine answered, and Jaedrea let her answer for both of them. It wasn't often that she would let someone answer for her, but she so much didn't know what was going on inside her own head right at that moment, that she didn't have any reason to contradict Jasmine. She was full of thoughts, many of them unpleasant, and she didn't have much hope of it getting better anytime soon.

"I know you're the quiet one, Jasmine, but I rarely see your sister being so quiet."

"She is going to be ok, but it will take time."

"I know. She's a fighter," Siri said.

Jasmine seemed very grateful that dinner came, right then, because it alleviated her of the necessity of saying anything more. Jasmine and Jaedrea devoted their full attention to their dinner, but Jaedrea listened to what the three adults were saying.

"So how is Elizabeth taking this assignment of her father's?" Siri asked Obi-Wan.

"As well as can be expected. She is very gentle, though Anakin seems encouraged that she will be a capable leader in battle."

"What about Luke?" Mara asked.

"He is understandably saddened by the turn of events, but he's holding up better than Liz I think. He's having a bit of trouble adapting to the command room, but he's effective on the battlefield. Leia is having the opposite problem, from the sound of it. Each of them has their own talents, and Anakin is trying to expand their abilities, but I don't know how well that will really work."

"Why is he trying to expand their abilities, Uncle Obi-Wan?" Jasmine asked, uncharacteristically. Jaedrea was sure that Jasmine was changing, and changing drastically under Luke's tutelage, but she wasn't used to it yet. It was for the better, but it was also so strange to have Jasmine asking questions. She wasn't opposed to the idea, but she definitely wasn't used to it.

"If they can perform adequately in both places, it frees them up to be paired with others who are less talented, or less experienced, or both. As it stands, they will do well paired together, though I would be hesitant to encourage that. It might make them more vulnerable to attacks."

"If they can do good in both positions, they can be sent off by themselves?" Jasmine asked.

"That's very insightful, Jasmine. Yes, they can go out by themselves, and they can teach others how to command in both a strategic sense, and on the battlefield," Obi-Wan answered. Jasmine fell quiet again, and they ate their food as the adults turned their full attention on their food.

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Saesee Tiin's Quarters, 39:6:23**

Julia was not ready to be part of her family again, and she was doing what Cedric had done for a long time, she ran away from them, spending more and more time at her Master's quarters. He had helped her with her lightsaber; it was finished now. He was helping her with an X-wing, one that they had picked out together to work on, customize, and make their own. It was going to be a long time before she would be able to go up by herself, anyway, and with the X-wings, having just been brought in astromechs were at a premium around the Temple Complex. It was a good thing her father had built and repaired so many of them.

The astromechs that hadn't attached themselves to any particular Jedi usually congregated in the Flight Arena, though no one paid them much mind, and they could be found in any part of the Temple Complex that caught their curiosity. Her father was pretty good at making sure that the droids would remain loyal to the Temple and not wander off, so it was really rare for one to be found wearing a restraining bolt, unless it was one that had been donated to the Temple and hadn't been cleared by him yet.

"Julia," her Master, Saesee Tiin, said, sounding slightly exasperated, as she walked into his common room.

"Yes, Master?"

"I thought you were going to work at home today."

"I don't feel comfortable there."

"And why is that?"

"Because Jae can just come in whenever she wants, and I don't know what to say to her," she admitted finally.

"You are going to have to deal with that. She is your sister, and you cannot avoid her forever."

She dropped her eyes, ashamed that he had to tell her this, "I know, Master, but it's hard. She's…"

"She is your sister, and you must at least be able to tolerate being in the same room with her. No one is asking that you return to the relationship that you had with her before, but you must at least be able to deal with her. Avoiding the problem is not healthy, nor is it going to be acceptable any longer."

"Yes, Master," she said after a long pause. "I don't know how to do that, Master."

"We will work on it together, my Padawan."

"Yes, Master."

"But first, you have homework that you need to get done, and you may do that here."

"Thank you, Master," she said, grateful beyond words that he wasn't going to force her to go home right that moment.

* * *

**Dantooine, Jedi Temple, hallway, 39:6:23**

Liz was sitting in one of the unused hallways. The schedule her father had set for them was grueling, but it was nothing compared to real battle.

Or so she'd been told. Luke seemed to be just as determined as their father to push both of his sisters into exhaustion. Leia didn't seem to mind it, either. Battle-win-debrief-create a new strategy-battle again. It had been going on for close to a week, virtually non-stop.

The Clones disturbed her slightly as well, just because they were, well, clones. She'd learned from watching her father that there were slight variations between them, more in personality than anything else, that would permit her to differentiate them. Then, of course they were numbered. That was what disturbed her more than anything else about them. The group of commanders and sub-commanders directly under her command had mostly all picked up nicknames.

Cody was her overall commander, and Oddball, her "opposition," and her father and the twins had all taken over the role of Jedi commander for the group opposing her—and she had outdone all of them. Even her father. But now she was tired—and hiding, if she wanted to be honest about it. It wasn't like she couldn't be commed—and she'd begun to hate that device as much as the battles themselves.

She understood that in a real battle there wouldn't be much if any downtime, but she needed it right then. Her troops had their orders, and Cody had been told to com her when the attack actually commenced. It scared her a bit that all these troops were depending on her to lead them. When it came down to actual battle, she would have all of them, but right now she was having enough trouble wrapping her mind around leading half of them.

She was also sure that her mother wouldn't approve of some of the things that the twins and their father said to each other. It was all in reasonably good fun, and it usually relieved the tension, but some things were downright morbid. Like when they started talking about something called the Death Star.

"Hiding, are you?" she heard out of nowhere.

She looked around for Fin, but didn't see him. "If you want to call it that."

He came out of a door recess not far down the hall. "I didn't think Skywalkers hid."

"It's a perfectly acceptable strategy when one is outnumbered."

"That's all you've been thinking about for the last week, isn't it?" he said, meaning strategy.

She nodded as he sat down beside her. "I've never seen Dad so obsessive about anything."

"You will be fine, I'm sure."

"How are your classes going?" she asked needing a change of subject.

"Well, I have mostly kids the same age as the Triple Terror, but they are good kids. No Skywalkers out here."

She punched him in the arm. "Hey, be nice."

"Why? Besides, Dan and me were in on some of the stuff the twins did, and I'm sure that Olisa is going to be just as bad as the rest of us."

"We aren't that bad."

"You don't remember the twins painting the Council Chambers green, do you?"

She winced. "I remember Dad yelling for what seemed like a week straight."

"Or the Triple Terror painting the _Falcon_ pink?"

"Or when Cedric and Celia set the three of them loose on the Temple for the first time when they were two?"

"See—Skywalkers, all of them, are tricksters. I think I like it here. It's nice and quiet. At least it was until four Skywalkers descended upon the Temple."

"I'll go home if you don't stop impugning the honor of my family."

He put his arm around her, saying, "I couldn't possibly do worse to your family's honor than your father already has."

She couldn't help but laugh—which had been his intention all along.


	5. Chapter 4

**AN:Sorry about the interminable wait to get this chapter up, but there was I think some bit of the evil Writher's Block, and then personal issues and it just took the time that it took. But it is here now, so read. Thanks to all who reviewed, and especially to Walking in the Light, who reviewed for the first time.**

**You should check out what else is going up today as well: _Growing up Skywalker: Jaedrea_, is up to about Chapter 14 in SotS, but it only takes another three weeks to finish out that story. This is Jae's journal, and should be an interesting read for those of you who are following along with this story. _The Necklace_. Chapter 9 should be up tonight as well, barring site problems.**

* * *

**Dantooine, Jedi Temple, mess hall, 39:6:24**

Anakin was sure that he was going to drive his oldest three children into insanity, but that was just the protective fatherly side of him talking. The side that was the battle-hardened commander, the Hero with No Fear, knew that they could handle just about anything, if given proper preparation, and he was endeavoring to do just that by pressing them so hard. He wasn't really sure what it would take to silence the father inside him, the part of him that was saying that he was terribly abusing his children. _The end of the war, probably_, he thought.

He sighed, eliciting a sideways look from Liz. "Is it really getting that boring to you, Daddy?"

"Not in the way that you think, Elizabeth. What is your battle plan for today?"

"I thought that the twins would try for infiltration, since nothing seems to be working. It will be difficult to manage, but I think that they can be headed off with vigilant patrols. I don't know what to do otherwise."

"It should be enough. They are getting creative, but I know they are both better commanders than this," he said, then as she leveled a look at him that made him smile, "Of course, it could just be that you're better."

The look on her face turned to laughter, and he smiled. The twins had told him that they were thinking about infiltration. She was right on target. He didn't know if that was what they were actually going to do, but it sounded likely. It wouldn't have been fair to the twins to tell Liz that, so he kept quiet, but he smiled to himself as he led the way back to the command center.

* * *

**Coruscant, Senate Rotunda, a small meeting room, 39:6:24**

Cedric was in his element, for the most part, except that there was so much to be done, and it needed done correctly, and as quickly as possible. He did not enjoy being rushed. His twin could tolerate and even thrive on it, but he wasn't his sister. It wasn't going to be easy to do what needed done, but it _was_ going to get done, he would make sure of it. Even if he had to ram it down their figurative throats, laced in pretty words.

"I don't see why we are putting this part in. Every planet is a member of the Republic already," the most conservative, most argumentative member of his committee, Ras Karth, a Gran Senator from Malastare, said. _Here we go again, _Cedric thought. He felt like he was banging his head against a durasteel wall. Unfortunately, this particular wall needed to be bent if he was going to have any chance of fixing the Republic.

"But they aren't. There are planets that are members of Hutt space, that don't have anything to do with much political, and a good number of the planets in Sith Space don't want to have anything to do with the galaxy at large. I'm just saying we should face reality here. Not every planet wants to be a part of the Republic, and therefore, they shouldn't be required to be, and they can suffer the consequences if they are not."

"Like what?" the Senator asked, clearly confused.

"Well, unless we were allied with them in some way, we wouldn't help them out in war, for example. I'm sure there would still be plenty of humanitarian missions and the like going on, but the member worlds of the Republic would come first for the government."

"So if, say Nal Hutta, as they likely would under the plan you are proposing, didn't join the Republic, and were attacked by, say, Black Sun forces, then we wouldn't help them?"

"Not unless it was in our best interest, and it didn't detract from the defense of the Republic. And we wouldn't go in unless they asked," Cedric said, clearly stunning the man.

"I wouldn't be able to support such a revision to this document," he said, getting up to leave.

"Wait," Cedric said. This Senator was one that he had labeled in his head as a problem, one of the several Senators who were in favor of the status quo.

"Why should I?" he asked.

"Because I don't think you understand why I feel these changes are necessary, so I feel like I need to reword my explanation."

He sat down, clearly not happy with the prospect, but at least willing to listen that much. This, Cedric could sense, was a pivotal battle for him, one that would sway more than just this one member of his group. There were twelve of the almost a hundred members of his subcommittee that were opposed to any change on the grounds that it was change. "The way in which the system is set up now, members of the Republic may request military assistance at any time. Being that the Republic encompasses every explored planet, anyone may request military assistance from the Republic. As it stands, the Republic is not able to comfortably patrol all of the systems that are currently inhabited by sentients, let alone some of the others that aren't, especially since those could be perfect targets for the CIS to take over and use as a base to infiltrate other systems and cause havoc.

"In this time of war, it is critical that we recognize that some planets will have to take priority over others. I don't like that any more than you do. In recognizing that fact, the government will be less burdened by responsibility for planets that do not want our interference, as they see it, and therefore more able to concentrate on the planets that do want the same things we do. Drawing lines in the sand like this will tell us how much we have to protect. The progress that has been made in recent years isn't to be discounted, but representation from the Outer Rim is spotty at best, and they do not trust us. If we cannot protect them from other members of the Republic, then how can we expect to protect them from outside forces?"

"Is this all about the War?"

"No, but it is something that's been needing to be done. Sometimes it is necessary to remove parts—dead parts, diseased parts—of something living in order for the whole to remain living. The Republic is in crisis, and unless we can remove the dead weight of the unwilling membership, the Republic will fall."

His grim pronouncement seemed to sink into the Senator, at least a little bit. "So what exactly do you propose to do with this dead weight, as you put it?"

"Nothing," Cedric said with a sigh, and was unsurprised by the surprised look on his face. "They are not part of the Republic, but that doesn't make them our enemy. If they choose to negotiate treaties for trade, protection, and alliances of other sorts, that can be done later, but for now, there is nothing that needs done with any planet that chooses not to be part of the Republic."

"And so by making the Republic smaller, it will be stronger?"

"That's the idea."

* * *

_**Excelsior, **_**In orbit around Coruscant, Captain's Mess, 39:6:24**

Han Solo was home, though not for long. He, along with the entire crew of the _Excelsior_, was scheduled to go out to the Void of Chopani in a week for training exercises. He would get to spend some time with Sabé and Kitster, precious little, considering they were not even two months old yet, and some time on board ship with Lando.

"So, Isard finally let go of you?" he asked Lando, who was currently enjoying the fine food provided by the Lady Ex's crew.

"Yeah, she pried every bit of information that she could out of me, even things I didn't know I remembered, and then she pried some more. I don't think I've ever been through anything worse. But I want to help the Republic find the bitch that set me up like she did, and took out Cloud City. I have a little money, but what happened to me is nothing compared to what the families of some of the residents of Cloud City are going through. I've been in contact with as many of them as I have been able to, and the Republic has agreed to help with survivor's benefits, but it's just not enough, nothing will be enough."

Han sighed. There were things he'd learned, things he knew now, because he'd married a Skywalker that he wasn't supposed to know, probably shouldn't have been told, and definitely didn't need to be telling his friend. "It's war, Lando," he said finally.

"I know it's war, Han; I just want the bastards to pay."

"They will, buddy; of course hopefully it'll be easier than it looks now. It depends on the leadership of the other side."

"The CIS?"

"Is that what they're calling themselves?"

"Yes, the Confederacy of Independent Systems."

Han shook his head, "It's not very original."

"No, but look at the group that makes it up. Neomoidians, the IGBC, the Geonosians. Most of the planets that have joined them so far are very bureaucratic."

"I know, I know. But they could at least come up with a catchy name."

"And the Galactic Republic is, what, the best thing since Sabacc?"

"Ok, ok, I see your point. Bureaucrats have no creativity."

"Only in how they make your life miserable."

"So are you ok, do you have somewhere to go, need help getting back on your feet?"

"Well, you could give me my ship back," Lando said slowly.

Han was slightly peeved that he'd even suggest it. "Hey, I won that ship fair and square, and I'm a little too attached to her to risk betting her in a game of Sabacc with you."

"Why are you so attached to that hunk of junk?"

"Hey, just a minute ago you were wanting her back."

"Well, if you aren't going to give her to me, there's no use in sparing her feelings, is there? Besides, she can't hear me."

Han made a derisive noise, but otherwise let Lando continue.

"So what makes her so special? You didn't care that much about her last time we talked."

He smiled, remembering why he loved the _Falcon_ so much. "I fell in love on the old bird."

"What?"

"Leia and me, we were stranded for two months together, and we fell in love then."

"I figured you were long gone for her, even when she was sixteen, when you guys were always stopping by on some mission or another. Man she's enough to make a man forget that she could kill you faster than you could see it coming."

"I never forgot, and I didn't see her that way. She was twelve when I met her; it gives you a different perspective on things."

"She must have been a handful."

"Not really, not then. She got worse when she got older."

Lando blushed, having been on the receiving end of her temper more than once. "I know. So how did you manage to not get her to kill you?"

"She likes me more than she likes you, and I learned to respect her space, which you didn't learn without force."

Lando sighed, having been on the business end of too many lightsabers to be lighthearted about it anymore. "Do you think—"

"No. I don't think smooth talk will ever bed you a Jedi."

"I wasn't going to ask that," Lando said defensively.

"No, but you were going to ask something equally despicable. So, seriously, what were you going to ask if not that?"

"Nothing; you wouldn't know the answer to it anyway."

"Ok," Han said, shrugging, giving up for the moment. "I'm going to see the kids, you want to come with?"

"I guess I'm up for that. These two need to get to know their Uncle Lando."

"I wouldn't go that far, it's more like Auntie Lando," Han said with a straight face. Lando punched him not too lightly on the arm. "Ouch!"

"Captain on the bridge," someone shouted out, and everyone stood. He saluted them, and they returned to their duties.

"Captain," his first officer said.

"Commander Needa," he replied. "I am going to the surface for a few hours."

"Aye, sir. Will you fly yourself or do you want a pilot?"

_Ick._ "I'll fly myself, thank you, Lorth."

"Very well, sir. I have the reports of our preparations ready for you at your convenience. You should find everything in order," the man said, a hint of a smile on his face.

"Thank you, Lorth. I don't believe you've met my friend. Lorth, this is Lando Calrissian, Lando, Lorth Needa, my XO."

"A pleasure to meet you, Sir," Needa said, shaking Lando's hand, "Terrible business that was on Bespin, you have my condolences over your and your people's loss."

"Thank you commander, just make those bastards pay," Lando said.

"We intend to, Mr. Calrissian. Captain, by your leave, I'll return to my duties now,"

"Of course, Commander, carry on," Han said, Needa saluted, which Han returned then Needa went back to his duties.

Lando followed him as they went across the bridge, and headed down to the shuttle bay. "I didn't know you rated Captain."

"I've been a Captain for a couple of years, but since I've been on attached duty, it just tells them how much they have to pay me," Han sighed, wishing that he didn't have to deal with the military branch of the military. "Lorth is was recently assigned as the XO of the Lady Ex, he's good, he'll make Captain, for sure, and now that there's a war on, it will probably be sooner rather than later. I took over the job of CO from a man named Ozzel, and he got bumped to Fleet Admiral."

"Attached duty is supposed to be the sweetest gig you can get in the Naval Service, from what I hear," Lando said as they headed down to the cargo bay.

"Don't believe everything you hear. It's a lot more work than it's made out to be by those who don't do it, and on top of everything I do for the Jedi, I still have paperwork to take care of, mission reports, mostly. Gotta be the dumbest arrangement the Navy's come up with, having to submit completely different forms from what the Jedi have put together, with the same information again."

"So why do you do it? The attached duty, I mean."

"Because I love it. It's rewarding work. I actually feel like I'm accomplishing something. And I don't have to wear a uniform to work every day."

"And you get to ferry beautiful girls around everywhere?"

Han felt a smile creep onto his face. "Not so much, anymore. Just one."

They arrived at the shuttle bay, and Han was announced again. "Do they do that a lot?" Lando asked as they settled into the shuttle.

"Yeah. It's annoying. That's the other reason I like attached duty. I don't have to wear these stinking uniforms every day, I can wear whatever the mission dictates, which means whatever I want, usually. And no one salutes me."

"Ha. You hate being respectable," Lando said as they boarded one of the shuttles, getting clearance to leave.

"No, I like the job I signed up for. I got picked out of the Academy to be attached to the Temple permanently, by Master Yoda himself. He came down there about once a year, looking over recruits, seeing if any fit his personal specifications. I don't know how I did."

"He was a Jedi Master, one of the most renowned for centuries; maybe he looked at what's on the inside. I keep hearing that it's what's on the inside of a person that counts, anyway."

"Probably. I don't know how I would have met Leia otherwise, though."

"You are smitten."

"Probably. We haven't even been married a year," he said, smiling, "But it doesn't matter. I love her, and she loves me, we have a family together."

"So do I get to see your lovely wife today?"

"No, she's on Dantooine with Luke and Master Skywalker, and I think her younger sister Elizabeth."

"Luke, the sandy haired one, right, the one with the old guy with long hair for his Master?"

"Yes, him. He's my brother-in-law now."

"And your mother-in-law and father-in-law are two of the most powerful people in the whole of the Republic."

"Don't remind me."

"Don't get along with them?" Lando asked curiously, since he'd heard nothing of it.

"I get along alright with Chancellor Amidala, but Master Skywalker, that's another story, though recently, he's kind of changed his tune. He's being nice to me again. I think he thought I was robbing the cradle just a little."

"Yeah, you weren't exactly in his plans for his oldest daughter, were you?"

"I don't know. I think he would like it if she were happy, and she is, or she will be when everything gets back to normal, I think he's starting to realize it; the Chancellor told me to just give him time to get used to it," he told Lando, and their conversation lulled while he dealt with Coruscant's Flight Control.

"So why did they recall all of the naval personnel attached to the Temple?"

Han shrugged. "It was something to the effect of 'The Jedi will be leading troops from naval carriers and battle groups. There will not be a need for individual pilots.'"

"Sounds contrived."

"Probably is. Probably don't have enough experienced people to staff battle groups, so we're being spread out among the fleet. We also know the Jedi, so I think we'll be expected to act as liaisons on top of whatever duty we're being assigned."

"Sounds like fun," Lando said sarcastically.

"Well, it won't be too bad, and we'll be back to our regular duties as soon as the major thrust of the war is over."

"That's good," Lando said as they landed on one of the pads reserved for the use of the Jedi Temple and those it housed.

The ramp lowered smartly, seemingly just as regulated as everything else on the _Excelsior._ Han sighed, getting off the shuttle, and heading for the main building of the Temple Complex, or as he liked to think of it, home.

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Kenobi Quarters, 39:6:24**

Obi-Wan wasn't sure what to say to Jaedrea, or what she wanted to say to him, but he was ready to answer her questions as honestly as it was possible for him to do so. Their talk had been pushed off to the next day, and he knew that she'd been upset by that, but it had been rather unavoidable. He would have been able to handle the late night it would have needed to have been to talk after they'd gotten back from Dex's quite late, but she wasn't going to be able to. She bit her lip as he looked at her, and he realized that she didn't know how she wanted to start. He knew staring at her would only make it worse for her, so he got up, and she panicked.

"Where are you going, Master?"

"I think I want some tea. Would you like some? I'll only be in the kitchen, if you feel like you're ready to start, I can hear you from there," he said reassuringly.

"Oh," she said, silent for a moment. "I think I would like tea."

She was so uncertain, and it wrenched his heart just a little bit out of place. "What kind would you like? I could give you what your father drinks, if that's ok."

She nodded. "I've never had tea," she told him as she followed him into the kitchen.

"Well, when your father was first my Padawan, he hadn't ever had tea before either," he told her conversationally as he pulled the teapot down and began to fill it.

"Really?" she asked.

He nodded as he put the water on the stove to boil. "Really," he told her. "He was about your size then."

"Daddy was as little as I am?"

"Yes, and he'd only just lost his arm, and I had to constantly remind him not to scratch at the scars—it would only make them worse."

"But he doesn't have scars, does he?" she asked as he reached above the stove, pulling down cups.

"Well, they are under the base of his prosthetic, but yes he does have them. They showed for a while, because he didn't have anything there to cover them. He didn't get that until he got his final replacement."

"When was that?"

He put tea bags in the cups as he thought for a moment, "He was twenty, I think, just after he was Knighted. He'd gotten so used to the whole process that when it started aching, he went in, but he hadn't actually grown much at all. He was, however, starting to put on muscle. He got a heavier model arm, and that was the last time he had it replaced. He still tweaks it sometimes, I think. Anakin never could be around anything mechanical and not do that."

Jaedrea giggled, knowing it was true; she was a tiny bit envious of how he could work on his arm with it still attached, though he did get into some funny positions doing so.

The water started to boil, and he put it into the cups, and motioned for her to go into the common room with him as he carried the tea. "Let it cool a bit before you start drinking it," he cautioned her, and set both cups down on the small conversation table in the middle.

"Who is Sid?" she asked, and her direct question caught him off guard for a moment.

"He's a bad person, who did very bad things when he was alive, and didn't learn to do any better after he died."

"He seems important, though. Who was he?"

"Sid was a shortening of his Sith name, Sidious. He was the one who tempted your father to the dark side in the other universe."

"He doesn't like Daddy?"

"I don't know what he does and doesn't like. That is probable though," he said, and she sat back thinking on her next question.

"How did Jasmine become Luke's Padawan? I wrote about that she was being all quiet and shy, and how she wasn't trying to be noticed."

"Well, it was after the change; Luke asked the Council, and we said yes. He has a special bond with her, he always has."

"You mean when Daddy became Vader?"

"Yes, then. Luke and Leia became the children of Vader."

"Oh," she said, and Obi-Wan picked his cup up, taking a sip, and he watched Jaedrea do the same. "It's really hot."

"That's why you only sip until it cools some more, but it should be fine as long as you don't overdo it."

She nodded. "I read where he asked me if using Force Lightning on a Sith was bad."

"What did you answer him?"

"I didn't—at least not that I wrote about," she told him.

"Well that is a very complicated question of the end justifying the means, but usually, it doesn't work out that way."

"So, it's probably not ok?"

"Most of the time that wouldn't be acceptable," He said, pausing to ensure that his declaration sank in, "But there might be a time that it would work. Judgment is part of being a Jedi. I won't lie to you Jaedrea, the Dark Side is very seductive, it is quick, and it is easier in most cases, especially in combat. The thing you have to remember is that the costs of the power is very, very high."

She sighed, and looked down. Obi-Wan just waited patiently. "Like when I hurt Jaz," she said in a soft voice.

Obi-Wan nodded, "Yes little one. A lesson you needed to learn, but I would have rather you learned it another way," Obi-Wan gathered her up in a hug.

"When did Daddy become your Padawan?" she asked as he held her.

He was a bit surprised by the question, knowing that she knew the answer, or at least, she should. "The day after I was Knighted. He was only just out of the Healer's."

"But, don't you have to have your Lightsaber to do your Ceremony?" _Ah, there's the real question,_ he thought, realizing that it was only slightly more in depth than her original question, but a distinction that she was making, or that had been made for her.

"Yes, but that didn't keep him from being my Padawan. The Ceremony happened when he was eleven; he didn't let the catch-up that he had to play bother him, or at least as much as possible. So it took two years of lightsaber theory to get him to the point where he could safely build his lightsaber."

"Master?"

"Yes, Jaedrea?"

"Can we do my Ceremony again, when I build my new lightsaber?"

"I think that could be arranged. I'm sure that your mother and father would be alright with that, though, maybe it should be just for the family?"

"Yes, probably," she sighed.

"Did you have any other questions for me?"

She carefully examined her toes as she thought. "No, I didn't read past my ceremony. I want to, eventually, but," she stopped, and he could feel the conflicting emotions inside her about what she was reading. Trepidation warred with curiosity, sadness that she couldn't actually remember warred with the need that she had to be able to fight Sidious off. That she hadn't said anything about him, her dreams, or anything since they had gotten back from Kamino worried him a bit. It felt like Sidious was waiting for her to let her guard down again, so that he could work her over even more thoroughly a second time.

"It's alright, Jae. I know how hard this is for you," he said.

She snuggled into him, burying her head in his chest; he could feel the tears wetting the front of his robes, and she held to him as though his presence would banish the evil that was trying to lay claim to her soul. He sighed, wishing with all his heart that it were just that easy. Then for the first time their training bond opened all the way, and Obi-Wan smiled as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Infant Crèche, 39:6:24**

Mara was looking forward to the birth of Ardrya, as she was sure that Luke was, when he had time to think of them. It was never far from her mind that he was out in the battlefield training for a reason, though he tried to send her a message every day, it was hard. So she tried to find things to occupy her time while she waited. She was officially on medical leave, and had been for nearly two months. The Council and the Healers were even more over-protective than her husband was. It was bad enough explaining to him that she was pregnant, not disabled. Nevertheless, the Council had decreed that pregnant Jedi weren't to be assigned to active duty once they were past their third month, and they also had a month, or more if they needed it, after the child was born to recover. Six months was a long time, and she didn't like being away from her duty, her life.

But she could still be useful around the Temple. She'd been contemplating teaching a class, but there wasn't any particular subject that jumped out at her. There was always something that needed a teacher, but it wasn't exactly in her nature. So she'd ended up here, in the crèche helping Siri, who was like a second mother to her.

"So," she said as she entered the crèche, "What kind of help can I be, Master Siri?"

"Well, it's not that hard to find something," she said, looking around. "I think I've got Sabé well in hand at the moment, but could you see about Jydan?" she said, indicating a boy sitting up in one of the cribs, fussing a little; it wasn't full blown crying yet, but it would get there quickly enough if someone didn't do something.

"Sure," she said going over to the boy and picking him up. "Hey," she said to him, and he fussed a little less as she held him. He grabbed at her hair, and started cooing.

"Looks like he just wanted held," Siri said with a smile.

"Looks like it. I don't think I've met Jydan before, or his parents," she said, walking across the room to where Siri was as she pulled her hair out of his hand and moved it behind her back.

"He's a foundling, but his parents are both here. I think they moved in a month or so ago."

"Foundling?" she asked, amused by the term.

"Well, he's not born to the duty, as you were," Siri said, smiling.

The door opened and Han Solo and a man she didn't know walked in. "Master Kenobi," Captain Solo said formally.

"Captain Solo," she replied. "And who is this?"

"A friend of mine, Lando Calrissian."

"Master Kenobi," Lando said, following Han's example. "And who is this beautiful woman?" he asked her.

She smiled, because it was almost cute, him trying to be smooth. "I'm Mara."

Lando smiled, but he was prevented from actually saying anything else to her by Han clearing his throat and saying, "Knight Skywalker, I trust you're feeling well?"

"As well as Leia was at this stage," she said, turning attention to her husband's brother-in-law. " I'm bored out of my mind and wanting to be out there with them. I don't trust Luke to take care of himself properly without me to look after him," she told him with a smile.

He nodded, and Kitster chose that moment to start crying, and Han went to pick him up. "Hey there, big boy. You miss Daddy, don't you?" Han said to his son and it was about the most adorable thing she'd ever seen from him.

The peace of the scene was broken as a shrieking pale tan streak ran past Mara and Siri's hand deftly caught an arm as the child tried to run past her.

"Kennis!" she scolded the naked two-year-old.

"Gramma!" he said happily, oblivious to her tone.

"I'm tempted never to claim relationship to you again," she said severely, setting Sabé into her crib. "Come on; let's get you back to your teacher."

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Skywalker Central, 39:6:24**

Padmé wasn't in a position to make many demands on her younger son, but she didn't like to see him hurting. And he was hurting very deeply right now. She didn't have to be a Jedi to see that. He was always hip deep in something, burying himself in work the way that Anakin would when he was confronted with emotions he couldn't handle. She knew that there were some people who couldn't see how very much Cedric was like his father, but she could. Luke had taken the path of emulating his father, which was all fine and good, fortunately he had a good deal more common sense than Anakin did. Cedric, on the other hand, rebelled. That was what he'd inherited from his father, along with the looks. But rebellion came in the form of conformity. He was as much of a conformist as Obi-Wan had been when she'd first met her husband's Master, thirty-six years ago.

That didn't mean it wasn't Cedric's form of rebellion. He was the perfect Jedi Padawan. He was calm, never letting a stray emotion cross his face, though she could see them boiling behind his eyes, the liquid cobalt that also graced the faces of both his brother and father. Luke didn't have the never-ending pit of emotion that Anakin had, but Cedric did. He had just learned to hide it better. He was her child in other ways, though. He had been fascinated with politics from the time he could understand words, hanging on her every sentence as she described the goings on of the Senate to Anakin. Poise and grace that served to augment his considerable personal charm, those he took from her. He was a diplomat, through and through, and she had heard reports from the Senate, from her friends who would confide in her that they often forgot that he was thirteen. He hadn't even started to grow facial hair yet, and he was quickly becoming as respected as she was in the political arena.

All this despite the words that they threw around about him. _Radical, dangerous, idealist, loose cannon, fear monger, war hawk, _and the list went on. Sometimes she had to remind people that she was younger than he was now when she'd been elected Princess of Theed, and only a year older when she'd gone before the Senate the first time as Queen of Naboo. That was a painful memory, one that she didn't like to have come up, but Sabé's death had served a purpose in the greater good. Her death had saved her from certain death, and she hadn't been the only one to die that day.

She sighed, shaking away the thoughts, and knocked on Cedric's door. He was home, she'd noticed him come in an hour or so earlier, and he'd gone straight to his room, probably intent on homework, but he needed to talk about this. "What do you want, Mom?" his voice asked distractedly.

"I want to talk to you," she said.

The door hissed open as she waited. He was still on his bed, so he had used the Force to unlock the door, something that his father disapproved of, now that he had children, but Cedric was distracted and in pain. She wasn't going to start their conversation by berating him on excessive uses of the Force. "I'm busy, Mom," he said without looking up.

"I know, but we hardly see each other anymore. I wanted to talk to you about this thing with Immolious."

"Her name is Sev'rance," he said, with more emotion than she'd ever seen him put into his voice, but it was as if it was automatic.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked curiously, and hoped that this was the door that she needed to open so that he would talk.

He sighed, closing his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

"But you need to. I can see that you're hurting," she said, and he shut down his datapad, and looked up at her.

"Yes, it hurts. Talking about it isn't going to make it hurt less, or go away," he said, as calmly as he'd ever told her anything.

"Why do you call her Sev'rance?" she asked, knowing that if she was going to get anything out of him, she was going to have to appeal to his intellectual nature.

"That's her name. Immolious is her Sith name, and she's not Sith anymore."

"Why do you think that she's not a Sith anymore?"

"Because she doesn't know who she is anymore, because of me. The path of the Sith is not one of confusion. Dad told me that. It's painful, it's dark, but it's not a confusing one. It is a decisive path, and she's no longer decisive."

"So because she's confused, she's not dangerous?"

"Oh, no, she's still plenty dangerous, but that doesn't make her a Sith. Dad's plenty dangerous, but that doesn't make him a Sith. Any Jedi is dangerous, but that doesn't make any of us Sith, either. She's not good yet, but I think she's on the path."

"What are your intentions toward her?"

He sighed, but he started to answer her. "She's the mother of my child. For good or for ill, she is."

Padmé waited for him to go on, but he didn't, so she asked, "Which means?"

"I've got certain obligations to her. I can't just abandon her. I wouldn't want to anyway."

"Why not?"

"Because I love her. I realize how incredibly impractical that is, but I can't help it."

It was her turn to sigh, but idealism was something that she didn't know how to fight. "Well, you love her. What are you going to do about it?" she asked gently.

"I don't know yet. We're," he trailed off, trying to find the words he wanted to use, "We're working on it. I don't know where that's going to lead us."

"Do you talk to her?"

"Sometimes," he admitted, "But that's all, just talking," he assured her.

"When?"

He shrugged. "Whenever she can find me."

"I hope that's not often," she said, and he sighed.

"I know you don't like it, but I need to interact with her, for the sake of my son. I'm not going to abandon him."

There was the idealism again. "I don't expect you to," she started.

"And that means that I can't abandon her. It's kind of a package deal, Mom."

"Why do you say that?" trying to keep the pride she was feeling out of her words; it wouldn't do to encourage the boy, too much.

"I don't know that I can put it into words," he told her with a sigh. "It's not like I can take him from her when he's born. Even if I could, it wouldn't be fair to her. I would spend eight months pretending everything is going to be fine between us, then turn my back on all of that, and take him from her? If anything could drive her back into being a Sith, that certainly would."

"Could you convince her that she needs help, that she needs to let someone else care for him until she's totally rid of the problems she's facing?"

"Mom, first, that's completely impractical. Everyone has some sort of problems, pretty much all the time. She doesn't need enough help that she won't be able to care for him. Being a Sith isn't an illness; you can't cure someone of it," he said, which caught her a bit off-guard, for that had been what she'd been thinking. "Second, who would judge when she was going to be sufficiently able to take care of herself and him? Third, it wouldn't be fair to him. He needs a connection with both of his parents. He needs to understand where he came from."

"But he doesn't have that right now. I realize he's not born yet, but you're right, he does need contact with both of his parents, but the only way that's going to happen is for her to come here."

"No. She wouldn't trust that it isn't just a trick to get him away from her. I'm not sure that the Council wouldn't want to do just that. I'm not sure that she could be safe here, not with some of the things that have been said to the rest of the family."

"Cedric," she started, not knowing what she could really say to that, since he was right. Leia's temper was nearly as bad as Anakin's, and there were many reasons that some members of the Jedi Order would want her execution put up for consideration.

"No, Mom. She's not ready for this step. The Order isn't ready for this step. I don't think I'm ready for this step. It's hard enough to deal with her as often as I do. I'm not sure I could do it every day."

"You wouldn't have to—"

"It's not a matter of have to, Mom," he said with fierce, quiet determination.

She was silent for a time, deciding how to go about a smaller concession on his part. "I want to meet her," she said finally.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said pessimistically.

"Cedric, I'm not asking you to spring this on her. Ask her first, but I want to meet the mother of my grandson."

"I'll think about it."

"You will make this request for me. The next time you see her. If she says no, that is fine, but you _will_ do this."

"Yes, Mother."

* * *

**Dantooine, Jedi Temple, Meditation chamber, 39:6:24**

Luke was most of the way to exhausted, and it was only mid-afternoon. He wasn't quite to the point of giving up, but it was a close thing. His father had given them a reprieve, a few hours to themselves, well, the rest of the afternoon. He was not pushing them as hard as true battle would, but it was still grueling, and it was mostly for Liz's benefit, but she couldn't get trained if they weren't doing it. Well, she could, but he knew as well as any of them that it would be completely inadequate. He'd found the way to one of the meditation chambers, one of the above ground ones, and he was intent on meditating for at least most of the rest of the day.

There were a good number of other things he probably should have been doing: sending messages to Mara, Jasmine, and his mother; laying out plans for the next day's exercises; sleeping; but this seemed more important to him at the moment.

He quickly slipped into a light trance, just enough to make contact with the Force. _"Like this room your father does not. A different opinion have you?"_

Luke opened his eyes, maintaining the light touch with the Force. Red-brown carpet blended up to deep brown walls that lightened as they went up, with a crowning yellow ceiling. The meditation cushions were orange and the light coming in from the windows only accented the redness of the carpet, making it brighter, more…something. "It is rather oddly colored, Master, but I don't dislike it.

_"Humph. Addle brains, the hot suns of Tatooine do. Know you not what this room represents?"_

"It reminds me of the first day I saw snow fall. We had gone to Naboo, and it was just turning to winter, and there were leaves of every color on the ground. I was seven, I think."

_"Humph,"_ was Master Yoda's only answer. _"In death I have gained access to memories of Darth Sidious's Empire, and that which went on before its inception,"_ he said gravely.

"Yes, Master," Luke said, knowing that would be helpful, but uncertain as to what Master Yoda wanted to discuss with him. In four years of dealing with Force Ghosts, he'd learned that they always wanted something, but it was extracting what exactly that was usually the problem. At least Ben had been direct most of the time.

_"A much better understanding of what is at stake I now have."_

"Yes, Master."

_"A very real danger, Sidious still poses to the Skywalker family."_

"What threat?"

_"Believe I do that Sidious is attempting to gain control of your sister."_

"Which sister?"

_"Jaedrea. The most vulnerable of the Skywalkers she is because the most like your father she is in temperament."_

"What else do you think he will do?" he asked, needing that information more than he needed more particulars about Jaedrea's problems. Not that he didn't care, but it was like a road well traveled for him.

_"Attempt to harm your father through your sister he will,"_ Yoda said, sticking to the information about Jaedrea.

"What can be done about it?"

_"A rest she has had from his influence, but once Anakin returns to Coruscant, resume and redouble his efforts to torment both of them he will. A fully trained Sith Vader was, and an asset he would be if he could be turned again to darkness."_

"Dad wouldn't turn back," Luke said adamantly, "The only reason he turned in the first place was the promise to save Mom."

_"A breaking point everyone has,_" Yoda reminded him gently.

Luke bowed his head, "Yes, Master."

_"See that neither truly reaches theirs, your task is; not yours alone, but yours in part. Help you Obi-Wan will."_

"Yes, Master."

_"If Anakin's strength Sidious cannot break, another apprentice he will seek among the weak-minded of the Order."_

"Who?"

_"Any would do for his purpose. Picky he would not be, but quick would he prefer. Younger, probably, so moldable they would be."_

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Skywalker Central, 39:6:24**

Jasmine felt uncertain as she curled up on her parent's sofa. She wasn't expecting anyone to be home anytime soon. She was accustomed to being able to choose the best course of action with relative ease, but things had gotten more complicated. Jaedrea needed a reasonably detailed account of the goings on that had led to hr fall into darkness. She hadn't actually gone to the Dark Side, but it had been close. That much she'd been able to figure out with a reasonable degree of certainty. What she wasn't skilled enough to tell was whether the amnesia was a product of her mind recoiling from what she'd almost done, or if it had been Sidious's doing. The Sith Lord was an unknown quantity in her puzzle. Not knowing about him had nearly gotten her killed.

Not knowing about him had caused her to discount possible paths as extremely unlikely, despite their continued presence. That should have been her tip-off. It had been a lesson to her, just as much as it had been to Jaedrea. She didn't know everything. The future was very mutable, and subject to more factors than she could keep track of.

Jasmine wanted to know more about Sidious and Jaedrea's interactions with him, but Jaedrea needed to know, too. And so she had to wait. Not long enough for Jae to lose her nerve, but long enough that she was able to comprehend everything fully.

It was a delicate balance that she had to maintain, and Luke was about the only one who really understood where she was coming from on that. She knew Luke hadn't told anyone about what she could do, but maybe it was time to talk to someone about it, since her Master was halfway across the galaxy.

As she pondered what to do about her situation, Julia sat down on the sofa beside her. "Do you want to go do something together?" Julia asked curiously.

Jasmine shook her head, not really wanting to play right then.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Jaedrea," she answered mournfully.

Distain was clear in Julia's voice as she asked, "Why?"

Jasmine sighed. This path was clear enough, at least. "It's like she got hit with a huge reset button, Jul. She doesn't remember anything of what happened from practically our birthday until she woke up in the Healer's after," she said. She knew she didn't have to say after what.

"You're serious."

"Hasn't anyone told you that?"

"Yeah, but," Julia looked down.

"You didn't want to believe it," Jasmine finished for her.

She nodded, "It was too convenient. It was like she was getting off scot free even though she nearly killed you."

"She still has her own scars, Jul. Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there," she said, with a slight emphasis on _you_, because she could see the scars on Jae's heart as clearly as the ones on her own body.

"She doesn't remember any of it?"

"She doesn't remember anything from the moment she set foot on Ilum until the day she woke in the Healer's. Her Ceremony; Celebration Day; Expansion Week; building her lightsaber; anything from Other Uses of the Force class; finding out that Mom was pregnant again, and about Mara being pregnant, too; Uncle Ferus getting home, me being sick after Bothawui; my Ceremony; finding out that you were finally going to have yours; Sabé and Kitster being born; Fin going to Dantooine; Grams coming down for Luke and Leia's birthday; Master Yoda dying; none of it," Jasmine felt the need to be quite specific in her list; things that as time wore on, it would be less and less likely that Jaedrea would actually remember any of it, a benefit that Julia would always have.

The horror that she didn't remember some of those things was starting to sink in to Julia's very thick skull. "She doesn't remember any of it?"

"No. We can tell her, but it's not the same. Celia and Master Allie don't know if she'll ever remember any of it," she said quietly, "Not even the good things."

Julia curled up on the sofa, making herself into a ball, "I didn't think that it was that bad."

"I know, Juls," Jasmine said, "But she needs both of us if she's going to be able to work through this. It's not going to be easy, even with that, but it will be impossible without your help."

"What can I do?" she asked, and Jasmine watched the flickering of emotions cross her face as something happened to her. Jasmine knew this was the turning point for Julia, but she wasn't sure what was happening. She bit her bottom lip as she saw tears well up in Julia's eyes.

"Julia," she started as her sister's eyes focused back on her.

She ducked her head, wiping the tears away. Julia hated when anyone saw her crying. "I know what I have to do. Master Yoda told me when I was on Ilum."

"What did he say?" she asked gently.

"That I am facing a crossroads. I think he means now."

Jasmine looked at her, studying the tumult of emotions that Julia was under. It didn't make her happy for her sister, but nothing in the mix was dark enough to cause her undue stress. "What else?" she prompted when Julia didn't say anything.

"That the decision I made about this was really important, and that it would affect everything."

Jasmine knew she wasn't telling her exactly, but that didn't really matter. It was the message that was important, not the words.

"He said it was going to be hard for me, to forgive Jae, but that I needed to, for lots of reasons," she said, her voice getting small and frightened, and Jasmine scooted over next to her, trying to comfort her, because she knew that this would be the most difficult thing Julia would ever have to do. At least it was probably the most difficult thing that Julia would ever have to do.

"What reasons did he give you?" Jasmine asked, and she could almost see Julia's gears turning, reviewing the conversation.

"It's part of the battle between the Jedi and the Sith."

"What else?" Jasmine prompted after a long moment.

"He said to do it for myself, because the hate would only harm me, and because Jae won't understand why I wouldn't forgive her."

"There's something else, though, isn't there?" she asked, knowing by the way she shifted just slightly that Julia was being evasive.

"For you, so that what's happening to Jaedrea doesn't hurt you."

Jasmine closed her eyes, smiling. Trust Master Yoda to know that she saw things. She shook her head, and looked at Julia again. "I'm used to it, Juls. Jae hurts me about every day, sometimes more than once. It's no one's fault, it's just the way Jae is. I don't fret about something I can't change."

"Do you…" Julia started to ask, but she fell silent, as though she was afraid of the answer.

"Do I really see the way Master Yoda does?" Julia nodded. "Not really, but I do have my own way of knowing the future."

"Why didn't you stop Jaedrea?"

"I didn't believe what I was seeing. I didn't know that there was someone out there influencing her, causing the changes I was seeing. I can't stop seeing the future, and I don't always know why something is happening. I learned a lesson because I didn't think that Jaedrea was capable of doing what she did, and she wasn't, not on her own, anyway."

"So you knew that she might hurt you?"

"I could see that the event was possible, but I didn't understand the whys behind it, so I didn't believe that it was really going to happen."

"So, you should listen more to Master Yoda," she said slyly.

Jasmine smiled, "I suppose, but I hadn't ever had to deal with anything so…"

"Awful?"

Jasmine nodded. "So can you see how it's not totally Jaedrea's fault? There were lots of little things that lots of people should have picked up on, but no one did, and she only had the ghost of a Sith Lord to fall back on."

Julia shivered. "I don't like to think about that."

"It was what happened. I don't like thinking about it either, but it fits everything into place quite neatly. It doesn't mean that Jaedrea wasn't wrong for what she did, but I think it will be worse for her not remembering what happened than to punish her harshly. It's eating her up inside that she doesn't really know what all went on. It's like the part of her that is her is cracked, and very fragile. I don't know if that is going to make things worse for her in the end or not, but she's not going to get any better until she has the support of everyone, at least everyone in the family."

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Skywalker Balcony, 39:6:25**

Sev'rance wanted to see Cedric. She'd wanted to see him for two weeks, ever since the last time that she had seen him. It was always like that; she would fight the feeling until she couldn't stand it anymore, and then promise herself that it was the last time that she was going to see him, and every time, it took shorter and shorter lengths of time for her absence from him to become unbearable. It had only been two weeks, barely at that. He wouldn't be expecting her, she didn't think, and that pleased her. Maybe she could…_No._ The thought cut through the Sithly imaginings.

_He would enjoy it. The kiss he gave you last time he saw you should prove that._

_He was testing boundaries: yours and his. I don't think he's willing to take that chance again. _

_He enjoyed the kiss; I felt it. It wouldn't take much to nudge him into wanting more._

_Remember how angry he was, still is, for that matter, from the last nudging you did?_

_You really think so?_

_He doesn't trust you._

_Not like he trusts you much more. We do, after all, inhabit the same body._

_Not by my choice. I'm sure you would be perfectly happy without me in here, too._

_Well, I have spent a good deal of effort to rid myself of you, but it has all failed. That particular trait of yours is rather annoying._

_But it is something you will never have. Love is stronger than hate._

_You wish._

_If it were not, why am I not vanquished? _A smile came to Sev'rance's face. It wasn't often that the part of her that belonged to Cedric won an argument to the point of silencing the part that clung to the Sith ideals.

She was nearly to the Jedi Temple. She fanned out her awareness, ensuring that there were no errant Jedi up this late, but all the dutiful, good little Jedi were asleep. Or at least in their quarters. Cedric was on the balcony. _Does he ever sleep?_ The Sith part thought sarcastically.

_You would be enough to give anyone nightmares for the rest of their lives. What do you think poor Lando is going through?_

_Is he still alive? A pity._

_The Jedi absconded with him when they left Bespin. It was lucky you got to the ship in a reasonable amount of time. Grievous firing on Cedric's family wouldn't have gone over well._

_Yes, Grievous does have a tendency for exceeding orders, doesn't he?_

_Yes. Fortunately, he's not our problem, anymore, he's Tarkin's. May the Force be with us for that one._

_Yes, I can't say I disagree. Those two will be a force to be reckoned with, if they can ever stop bickering for long enough. Cedric did the Republic a real favor, taking out me as the mediator between the two of them. _

_They may work out an arrangement. Tarkin isn't one to spend his time being overly disagreeable. He's a military type. Once a pecking order is established, he'll stick with it._

_Yes, but I disagree with your assessment of Tarkin. I believe he spends every day trying to be as absolutely disgusting as possible. _

She didn't want to think about the war she had promised Cedric she wouldn't be fighting anymore. Besides, she was almost to the Temple. He was on the balcony of his parent's quarters, where she usually found him. She wondered if he ever slept anymore. If she judged by the dark circles under his eyes, it was unlikely.

"Sev'rance," he said coldly as she dropped onto the roof. "I should have known better than to come out here tonight."

His cryptic comments confused her. "You don't want to see me?"

"I would have preferred being able to wait a few days," he said with a sigh.

"Did something happen?" she asked, wondering what could have happened that would make him say things like he was.

He was silent for a while, looking out across the Coruscanti skyline. "I have to ask you something," he said, and the tremor in his voice was hard to ignore.

She felt a cold dread coil around her insides. "You can ask me anything you like," she said cautiously.

He sighed, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. "Later," he said, then turned to face her, "How have you been doing?"

His question caught her off guard. "I've been ok," she answered, not following what he was asking, her brow creasing a bit in her confusion.

"No morning sickness, you don't feel extra tired, nothing? Come on, I'm living in very close proximity to two pregnant women, and my oldest sister just had twins."

"What's morning sickness?" she asked, letting him guide her to a place she could sit down.

"No nausea in the morning?" Cedric asked.

"No, why?"

"My mother and my sister and sister-in-law all have it bad; from what experience I have it's a part of being pregnant."

"Maybe for human women it's that way, but not for Chiss. I don't know that much about my people, but I've tried to find out as much as I can about what pregnancy is like for my people."

"I'm sorry, I forgot you aren't human."

"As for the other, I sleep a bit more than usual, but I'm not tired otherwise."

He was quiet, sitting there beside her for a little while. "Why are you here?" he asked quietly.

"Do I need a reason?"

"No," he answered, not quickly, as though he were desperate to see her, but not slowly, as though he didn't want to see her. It was the perfect speed. "But you usually do."

"I just wanted to see you," she said, then added, "I've thought of a name to suit our son."

He sighed, "So there is a reason."

"Well, no, I just thought I would tell you while I'm here."

He nodded. "Well?"

"Merkoz'ere'tlekethertono," she said, carefully enunciating the Chiss name. Its meaning equated to a very long sentence in basic, and meant 'mother's love.'

"Can that be a bit shorter? I'm sure he'll have problems with it in school until he's ten, at least."

She nodded. "Zeret, his name is Zeret. The other is almost more like a title."

He nodded. "That, I think I can handle."

"Now it's your turn, what did you want to ask me?"

"I don't want to ask you, but I have to ask you," he said, sounding uncomfortable again.

"What is it? You make it sound like it's horrible," she said.

"I just don't know how you'll react to it, however once I ask, feel free to answer any way you want. I won't think less of you for not wanting to do what I'm about to ask."

"Ok, Skywalker, enough of the build up, this isn't some third-rate holodrama."

"Sorry," he said, looking away, not wanting to meet her eyes, "My mother wants to meet you. While she didn't say so outright, I felt it was implied that the terms were yours to set."

Tann thought about it for a moment, _no this isn't anywhere near as bad as I feared_, the Sith in her surged in excitement at the opportunity, while she recoiled at the thoughts that part of her was having, and knew that if it had it's way she would lose Cedric forever. On the other side though there was as much opportunity for her as for the Sith. A chance to gain a very powerful ally in her quest to….then it occurred to her, she'd really gotten what she initially set out for, why was she still here? The Sith in her had wondered at that for a long time but had never voiced the question. What was her final motivation, what was it that she needed his mother as an ally for? Dare she even hope? Hope that someday she might…dare she even think it? It was too scary, too happy a thought, one once thought she knew would consume her every waking moment, and if it wasn't possible, destroy her utterly. Husband…it came surprising her, she really didn't want to think that word, but there it was. And Cedric's mother was the key. Dare she take the risk, was her control over the Sith strong enough? She decided that it HAD to be, for Cedric, she looked into his eyes and saw the same longing that she felt and her heart broke to see him in that much pain, tears came to her eyes and she felt his arms around her, already strong despite of his youth. He was saying something; she fought past the onslaught of emotion to hear him.

"Shhhh….shhhhh…its ok, you don't have to. I won't make you…." He was saying.

"No, no I must. I must do this. In fact either your brother or father should be there also," she said.

He blinked, obviously surprised, "Ok…but why?"

"In case I need to be killed."

* * *

**Dantooine, just outside the Jedi ****Temple, ****Clone Troop encampment****, Command Tent, 39:6:25**

Leia had taken a long nap while everyone else stayed up and did things in the afternoon, and so she was the most rested of them as nightfall came, and she had elected to stay up with the night watch while the others slept.

She knew her father would be up before dawn, but it was little comfort to her right then. "General Solo," one of the Clones said, and it took her a moment to realize that he was talking to her and not to her husband.

"Yes?"

"There is an anomaly in our communications equipment."

She considered what he said for a moment, realizing he wouldn't bring something to her attention that could be fixed or readily explained. "Show me," she ordered him, and he beckoned her to follow him.

He pointed at the machine that was giving off the malfunction, "This," he said.

She knew what it was without asking, having seen many of them in her career as a Rebellion leader. The particular anomaly was one she was also familiar with. "How long?" she asked, her throat tightening around the words, making them sound strangled, her fists clenching in resolve or anger, she wasn't sure which yet.

"Ten minutes, and what ever it is has been increasing in intensity."

"Call my father," she said, her Rebel authority and Jedi training snapping into place. He would need to know that there was a communications jammer out there.


	6. Chapter 5

**AN:So here we are, fifteen days out from school starting. I doubt I'll get another chapter up before then, but I shall try. It should be easier without battles to write, my main personal obstacle. This project is rather daunting, trying to tie up all the loose ends. Hope that you are all still enjoying this.  
**

* * *

_**Executor, **_**In Orbit around Dantooine, 39:6:25**

Wilhuff Tarkin surveyed the surface of Dantooine as he listened to reports of various activities. Grievous had come to him, tail between his legs after the near-disastrous destruction of Cloud City. There were other routes that had been secured for bringing supplies into Endor, but none that had the capacity that Cloud City had afforded them.

Two months earlier, the laser system had been completed on the _Death Star,_ and tested on one of Endor's barren moons. Four weeks earlier, their supply trains had been strangled by Grievous. He was definitely out of Immolious's graces, but she hadn't been around to enforce his superiority. So he had seen to it that Grievous knew without a doubt who was in charge. He was still useful enough to keep around, but not so much that Tarkin couldn't make him believe that he would dispose of him if he got too troublesome.

Immolious had spent some time planning war strategy with him, and he felt that whatever delay she had been under, it was not something she would want him to wait for. Time was of the essence; if the Jedi got time to organize, then there would be no hope for the Confederacy, but now, while there was still disorganization, it was possible for him to strike, and make a dent in the opposition. He had been watching the Republic Fleet that had organized around Dantooine recently. They would be gone for two more days, if their patterns held, plenty of time to organize a fight and suppress any sort of Jedi response in the Outer Rim. If the Temple of Dantooine could be destroyed, there was a good chance that they would retreat to Alderaan or Naboo, leaving the whole of the Outer Rim unprotected, and in his grasp.

"General Grievous, begin landing your troops. This will be just the start of a glorious war, one that will leave the Galaxy ordered and secure for a change," he said, turning to the droid General.

"Yes, Star Marshal," Grievous said, Tarkin could hear the contempt in his voice and considered calling him to task on it, but decided against it. It would take all of his time to teach the more-than-half-machine monstrosity manners. The clank of Grievous' departure even grated on Tarkin's nerves. But not as much the presence of defensive shields over all of the population centers, meaning that he had to send in ground troops, which would take time, and resources. Droids took less time to replace than flesh and blood troops would've, but they only had so much manufacturing capacity, much of which would be lost once the Republic got organized. It was irksome, but nothing could be done about it. In the end both the Confederacy and the Republic would be at replacement parity, which meant he needed to maintain his initial advantage. His problem was that the principle manufacturing centers of the Confederacy were in the Colonies, particularly in the Corporate Sector. He couldn't hope to hold it, only bloody the Republic's nose in losing it, hopefully enough to make them timid about offensives until the Death Star could be made operational once again. The escape from Endor had done enormous amounts of damage. The super laser was no longer operational, several key components having been destroyed. They would not be easy to replace, now that the war had started. Tarkin frowned.

"The first landing craft are away, no resistance thus far, sir," a Nemoidian crew member reported.

"Good, at least our intelligence network was able to get something right," Tarkin said, and settled in to watch events unfold.

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Skywalker Central, 39:6:25**

Obi-Wan looked up from the report he was reading as Jaedrea walked into the room. She looked like she had been crying, and had her journal hanging limply from one hand. He marked his place, and then shut the datapad down.

"Master?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Come here, Padawan," he told her gently, and opened his arms. She ran to him, tears threatening again.

He held her, letting her work through the awful despair at her own pace, stroking her hair and saying small comforting things to her until she was ready to talk about what had brought on the tears. "Master?" she asked, but it was muffled, directed at his chest.

He put two fingers under her chin and made her look at him. "Yes, Jaedrea?" he asked quietly, a comforting smile on his face.

"Am I a bad person?" she asked earnestly, her eyes searching his.

"No, Jae," he said, putting his arms more tightly around her, giving her a bit of a squeeze. "You have just been in some bad situations."

She opened the journal, flipping to the entry he had suspected was likely her problem; it was one a few days after her Padawaning, where she had done something a bit out of character. She had pushed a young boy. "But what about this?"

"Jaedrea, one bad day does not make you a bad person."

She chewed on her lower lip as she thought about it. "I don't understand."

"Well, everyone has times when their judgment is not the best. So long as you can realize and admit when you make mistakes, you should be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It is only when you persist in pursuing bad judgments that you encounter problems."

Satisfied for the moment, she flipped several more pages, skimming to find entries she had questions about. "Do I know Djem So?"

"I'm sure you do, but it's not something you are going to be learning for a while, so I wouldn't worry about it if I were you."

"What if I don't remember before I start learning it for real?"

"We will worry about it when we get there."

Jaedrea nodded, satisfied for the moment. Another page, another question. "What about our bond?" she asked, and he scanned the entry.

"It has opened fully."

"So it's ok?"

"Yes, Padawan. Some things take longer than others. Perhaps when you are a bit older, you will understand that better."

"Ok," she said, already hunting down the object of her next query. "Here," she said, pointing. "It talks about what Sid says making more sense than what you say."

"Well?"

"But he's a Sith," she told him, as though he were missing something obvious.

"You didn't know that then," he reminded her.

"But don't the Sith lie all the time?"

He sighed. The world was so black and white in the eyes of someone so young. "They lie if it suits their purpose, but the best lie is one built on a core of truth."

"Like when I believed that Jaz wasn't going to be a good Jedi because she's different?"

"That is probable. She is different, but it makes her special, not unworthy."

"I know, Master. I love my sister," she said, in the way that meant she didn't remember it ever having been any other way. She was searching again, looking for something else that had bothered her enough to bring it up to him.

"What else did you want to know about?" he asked as she read an entry more thoroughly than the rest.

"Was Mom sick?"

"Not that I recall. She was pregnant, though no one knew it at the time."

"Oh, yeah," she said, continuing with her hunt. "What is there to understand about the Soresu that I'm not getting, or wasn't?"

"The philosophy. You aren't the only one to have problems with that, though. It's not complicated, but it can be a difficult tenant to accept for oneself."

"Because it's about peace and defense and not action and war?"

"That's a part of it, but it's good that you've gotten that far with it. We can discuss it another day, when we have a bit more time."

"Like in a couple of days when I don't have school?" she asked pleadingly.

He smiled. "That would be a good day, yes," he agreed.

"Jasmine told me that the Force was holding its breath," she told him, indicating the later part of the entry that the book was open to.

"I suppose that is one way to put it," he said, and satisfied, she turned back to her journal.

He waited as she looked for another passage that had piqued her curiosity. "Is the way you treat your Padawans supposed to be different?"

"It is different. There is no way that it could be the same," he told her, and she looked confused. "I was a very young man when your father became my Padawan," he continued, "Unmarried, just Knighted. By the time I got to Mara, I was married with three children and had been a Master for over ten years. I learned from the mistakes I made with Anakin, and I did make mistakes. I made new ones with Mara, which I learned from before I got you. And Mara and Anakin are very different people, who reacted differently to me."

"Oh," she accepted what he said, and after mulling it over, she said, "Ok."

"Anything else?"

She nodded. "Only one."

"Let's hear it," he said.

"'Power comes from knowledge,'" she said, reading directly from the book, "'But knowledge also comes from power…If power comes from knowledge, and Jedi seek knowledge, they receive power in return. If you seek power, does knowledge truly come from out of the power you've sought?'"

Obi-Wan sighed. It was a difficult question that she asked, at least to put into terms she could understand and accept. "Power doesn't exactly get you knowledge, but perhaps more accurately access to knowledge. I suppose that one could look at it as a cycle. A level of knowledge gives you a level of power, and with it access to more knowledge. Once that knowledge is obtained, you gain access to more knowledge, with the granting of more power."

"So power isn't really something to be sought?"

"Unless you want to be a Sith, no. It is only a means to more knowledge, and an acknowledgement of the learning you have already done."

Jaedrea sighed, snuggling into his chest more securely. He held her, letting her draw comfort from his presence. She was unique among everyone he had dealt with. Her dealings with the Sith had come at such a tender age, splashing shades of grey into her world much faster than she would have learned to see on her own. Jasmine had learned to see them much earlier, but it was a product of her personality and her unique view of the Force. Julia, who would probably be his standard, at least for this, was still coloring Jaedrea as completely bad, and it was hurting both of them. Jasmine had said something about having talked to her, when she had spoke to him for a moment after their class this morning, but he hadn't seen the fruits of that effort yet.

He hoped Jaedrea was going to be strong enough to deal with all of this, but it was coming at her so fast that it was like she was standing still in the Coruscanti traffic, being buffeted every which way by the passing speeders, never having enough time to recover from one hit before the next came. Seeing it and being able to stop it were two different things. For now, all he could do was patch up the hurts, and hope that the next hit would get her out of the traffic lanes so he could actually help her.

* * *

**Dantooine, Jedi Temple, Anakin's Quarters, 39:6:25**

Anakin was awake and half-dressed when a clone chimed his door. Something was up; he just wasn't sure what yet. "Enter," he commanded.

"High General Skywalker," he said, and Anakin motioned for him to continue while he pulled his shirt on. "General Solo has requested your presence."

To this statement he raised an eyebrow, but the clone was not forthcoming with any other information. "Get General Skywalker and Commander Skywalker up as well, and have them meet us in the briefing room."

"Yes, sir," the clone said, saluting him smartly then leaving.

Anakin grumbled to himself as he shoved his feet into his boots, and then threw a cloak on, homing in on his eldest daughter's Force Signature.

She was in the comm center. He waited just inside the door for her to acknowledge him, but she didn't.

Finally, he walked up next to her, asking, "So what did you drag me out of bed for? This had better be good."

"We're under attack," she said, still examining something on the battle board, the soft illumination of the glowing circles and representations of resources being the only thing lighting the room.

He was curious, so he said, "Well, it doesn't sound like an attack is underway," in a tone that both sounded skeptical and sarcastic.

"Troops haven't hit the ground yet," she said, harshly, and he probably deserved it. "We picked up the communications jammer twenty minutes ago."

His eyes went a little wide at that. "Show me," he ordered, and she pointed to the frequency monitor and the readout that concerned her.

"This," she said, pointing to an odd grouping of oscillations on the screen. He frowned. The channel wasn't one that was normally monitored, and probably for obvious reasons. You couldn't _communicate_ on it, because all sorts of weird stuff operated on that frequency… including communications jammers.

"I am impressed," he said finally.

"It wasn't my idea," she said quietly, probably thinking of the person who had come up with it.

He nodded. "Come, we need to put something of a battle plan together before they do start landing troops," he said, and then headed for the briefing room and his other two children.

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Skywalker Central, 39:6:25**

Jasmine was curled in a ball on her sleep couch, her arms curled around her legs, fists stacked under her chin, her only movement was to occasionally reach down to the datapad in front of her, tapping the button that pulled up the next page of information. She was reading, for the third time, her Political Strategy homework. She was lucky, despite attending six classes, more than either of her sisters; she only had homework in three of them. Lightsaber class, of course, didn't have homework in the traditional sense, no matter who taught it, so that was something both Jae and Jul had going for them as well. Galactic History took less time than Political Strategy, but it was because she was only required to read and summarize, or answer a list of questions, memorize a list of dates for an upcoming test, and other things of that nature. It was similar to the Initiate-level classes of the same title, and for that was slightly boring.

Advanced Force Applications, which Master Luke had dutifully enrolled her in as he'd promised, was not unlike her Lightsaber class; there was really not any way to give homework. Qui-Gon's Living Force class was a completely different sort of class, one that adults took as well, and for that, no homework would be given.

She was in an Advanced Math class, after Luke had persuaded her to take and do her absolute best on a placement test of her more mundane skills. Jaedrea hadn't even scored half as well as she had, and Julia only did as well as she had on the math portions because, Jasmine suspected, she could translate most of the math problems into something to do with flying. Julia had tested well, but had chosen to go into the same class as Jaedrea, and would probably be in a Technical Math class next.

She sighed, realizing that her mind had wandered, albeit briefly, and she focused more thoroughly on the task at hand. This was her last reading before she would have to go ask Cedric, or, if he still wasn't home, as was often the case, Obi-Wan about the eccentricities of this particular system. She disliked the amount of work that she had to put into this class, but she was determined to prove that she could. Sometimes it took her a long time to get the concept that was being presented, but eventually she did, and once she did, it made sense. She wasn't sure that it was entirely necessary, but Luke thought so, and so she took it seriously. She wanted to make him proud of her.

She heard her bedroom door open, and she sighed as she shut down her datapad. She was finished reading the passage, but it made no more sense than it had the first time she'd read it. A quick probe of her parent's quarters revealed a definitive lack of masculine energy. Obi-Wan it was. She shook her curly hair out of her face, having unbraided it once she'd gotten home, as she looked up, expecting Mara.

It was, instead, Jaedrea. She smiled at her sister, genuinely glad to see her. She was usually happy to see most anyone in her family, but having almost lost Jae once, she was especially glad to see her most days. "Jasmine?" her voice was quiet, as though she was afraid of disturbing Jasmine.

"Hi, Jae. Did you need something?" she asked as she uncurled from her study position, stretching out her short legs. Not that they were really short to _her_, but that she would never be tall had been something more or less put to her _again_ four months ago at their yearly check-ups. Jaedrea was already twenty-three centimeters taller than her, and Julia was eighteen. Curious, she'd asked Celia's Master about it, and Master Allie had told her that she was only slightly taller, about half a centimeter, than Leia had been at nine. She knew already Leia was the shortest of her grown and nearly grown siblings. Cedric was already taller than Luke, who was taller than his twin by twenty centimeters or so, and Celia was also already a few centimeters taller than Leia. Liz was only about five centimeters shorter than their father. She'd definitely inherited the short genes.

"I was wondering something," Jaedrea said, nerves getting to her, and it wasn't even going to be something big.

Not big enough to make ripples, at any rate. Jasmine frowned a bit at the errant thought. "So, what do you want to ask me?" she prompted.

"Is it normal to have nightmares?"

"I have nightmares a lot, and it's probably because I can't shield properly, and I get invested in other people's nightmares," she said sighing. She ran her hand through her hair, and started to put it back so that she could re-braid it, and Jaedrea came all the way into the room, to help her. It _would_ look sloppy if she did it herself, but she was rather irritated at her hair for being so insanely curly. "And Master Allie did say that your memories might come out in your dreams, depending on how ready you are to face your past. What's been going on?"

"I see flashes of stuff, but I'm not sure whether it's memories or imagination or a combination of the two, or just weird creepy stuff," Jaedrea said, relaxing a little as she had something physical to concentrate on. Jasmine smiled, grateful for the seemingly random impulses that she had from the Force or whatever it was that prompted her to do the odd random important things she did.

"Maybe you could talk to Master Allie about it," she suggested gently.

She felt Jaedrea shake her head, and glanced in the mirror on her dressing table for confirmation. "None of the images are concrete enough to make sense yet. It's all so random."

"Meditation?" she suggested.

She could feel the slight motion as Jaedrea nodded. "I haven't talked to Master Obi-Wan about it yet, but I suspect that's what he will say, too."

"Well, why don't we ask him? I have to ask him about my homework anyway."

Jaedrea made a face as she slid off Jasmine's sleep couch in search of a tie, handing the end of her braid to her. "I so do not envy you being in that class."

"That's not what you said the first time you got the news I was going to be in that class," she said with a hint of laughter.

She shrugged. "What can I say? I wasn't exactly myself."

"I know, Jae," she agreed, and put the tie Jae had found on her dressing table around the end of her braid and flipped it back over her shoulder. "Let's go. No time like the present."

She made another face as the two of them walked into Luke and Mara's common room. "Mara?" she called.

"Yes?" Mara answered from their bedroom.

"I'm going with Jae to Master Obi-Wan's. I'll be back for dinner?" she said, hanging on to the door frame, as Mara looked at her from the sleep couch.

"That's fine, Jaz," she said with a yawn. She'd been napping, tired since Ardrya was due in about a month.

"Do you want to eat at Mom and Dad's tonight? You sound tired."

"That would be fine. Since you're headed that way, do you mind popping in and letting your mother know?"

She nodded. The thought of eating her mother's cooking wasn't the most horrific thing she'd ever thought of, but there weren't many things that were really much lower on the list. Getting eaten by a rancor, but she couldn't think of anything else at the moment.

They left, stopping at the next door, looking in on their mother. Jaedrea hung back while Jasmine bounded into the room. "Mommy," she said, bouncing onto the sofa.

"Don't do that, Jasmine, it's not good for the furniture," she said, not looking up from her datapad.

"Okay," she agreed petulantly. "Mara's taking a nap right now; can we come over for dinner?"

"I haven't even thought about dinner," she said, sighing and putting down her datapad. "Maybe we can order something in," she mused.

"Thank you, Mommy!" she said, throwing her arms around her mother's neck, then she was gone in a flash again, but she could hear her mother's amused laughter chasing her out, as she took her sister's hand and they headed for Jaedrea's Master's quarters.

* * *

**Dantooine, Jedi Temple, Briefing Room, 39:6:25**

Luke hoped that whatever was going on wasn't just his father demanding that they get more battle experience. One look at his twin, as she walked into the room behind their father, told the tale. He'd seen that look on her face before, somewhere between battle-hardened commander and fearful princess. "Starting a bit early, are we?" he asked casually, putting his arm around Leia, trying to help her leech her anxiety off through the Force, just as he'd done many time before, before he'd known she was his sister. On some level, he had always known they were connected, but not that they were twins, though the identical birthdates ought to have given them a clue. It simply hadn't occurred to either of them that they were related.

She smiled up at him, the way she used to, he thought to make Han jealous, but he realized now it was just the way she smiled at him because she was happy to see him. "We need to put something together before the CIS starts landing troops."

He nodded, and they looked at Elizabeth, who had suddenly gone white, and was stammering. "I-I-I can't," she started faintly.

"You can and you will. Where is the Fleet?" their father questioned her, "We will need to let them know what's going on."

Elizabeth shuffled through a dozen pieces of flimsiplast. "Tatooine, Ord Cestus, Anx Minor, somewhere close," she mumbled to herself as she looked for the schedule. She found the flimsi that had the military fleet's schedule, running her finger down it until she came to their current location. "Anx Minor, but only for the next couple of hours. They are supposed to jump to hyperspace headed for Gravlex Med in a couple of hours, and be there all of the day," she looked up at the chrono, "Today, and tomorrow as well. They aren't scheduled to be back here until the morning after."

"We need the Fleet to be able to engage their fleet in battle. It will distract them from the ground battle," he turned to Leia. "Can we get a message out through the jammers?"

She shook her head. "There are ways, but it takes encryptions on both ends, overscramblers that we don't have."

He nodded. "How difficult are they to get a hold of?"

"They would have to be constructed, but they aren't too hard to put together, but they have to be done in pairs. I've done it before."

"Later then. Someone has to get past the CIS's fleet to get a message out to ours."

"I'll go," Leia said.

"You can't pilot well enough to get through droids, Leia," their father told her. He frowned. "Luke, you should go. Leia may go, as well, if you would rather have her than another gunner."

Luke nodded. "Should I take anyone else?"

"Do you need anyone else?" Anakin asked, "You'll have to take the _Ranger_ as it is, but I'd rather not risk more people than I have to."

"We can go alone. Leia and I work well enough as a team."

"Don't get yourselves killed. I don't want to have to tell your mother," he said, and they knew he was just trying to mask his own concern.

"Yes, Dad," the twins said at the same time, and they each hugged him from the side.

"Be careful, you two," he said, planting a kiss on the top of Leia's head, and after a moment's consideration, another on Luke's.

"Now, Elizabeth," he said, turning to their sister and disengaging himself from them, "You have a battle to plan."

"Me?" she squeaked.

"What do you think I've been making you do for the last week?" Anakin asked with some irritation. Luke and Leia walked out and the door closed behind them before she could come up with a coherent response.

"Are droids really that different?"

"When you're going up against them in battle. You battled them on Bespin; what do you think?"

"I couldn't _feel_ them, but I could still anticipate them."

"You have to be able to do both. It's not a bad thing, and don't worry about it. Dad knows that I operate a ship as though it is an extension of my own body, and you don't. It just isn't in you to do it; Julia is the only other one of us who does it."

"And Dad."

"Yes, and Dad."

Leia sighed, still gathering herself for her role in the coming battle. She was usually somewhat pensive pre-battle, and the Jedi gig made her more so.

"We'd better get hopping. I'd like to get out of here while they are still setting up their pickets; it will be easier to sneak past."

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Skywalker Central, 39:6:25**

"_In case I need to be killed."_

Over and over the sentence resounded inside Cedric's head, giving him no peace. There was an hour between breakfast and the usual start of his meetings, when, depending on how the previous night had gone, he either took a nap, or meditated, or gathered notes and did research.

Today, he wrote out detailed terms and conditions for his mother's meeting with Sev'rance. Not that she'd given him much in the way of instructions that he could use to put together into such a report, but he likely knew her better than any other being on the planet, including herself.

He knew his mother about that well, also, and knew if she could abide by the letter of an agreement and cheat, she would.

An alarm sounded from his wall chrono, startling him. He looked up, biting back a curse. He wasn't going to be able to word what he wanted any tighter, and more work on it would only be to make it more flowery, and it really didn't need that. He got up, throwing his black cloak over his shoulders, and went to his parents' room.

"Here," he said, tossing the datapad onto his mother's desk, using a small exertion of the Force to make sure it landed where he wanted it to, just out of her reach. "If you have questions, I should be home before dinner."

He walked out of their quarters, his long strides taking him quickly to the landing pad. He sighed in relief as the public transport pulled away from the building and out of reach of his mother.

* * *

**Dantooine, Jedi Temple, **_**Bright Hope Ranger**_**, 39:6:25**

Leia put the headset that her brother handed her on. "I wish Han was here for this," he said to her.

"And then we'd be in that hunk of junk he calls a ship," she said, smiling letting herself drift in memories, "We sure could use her, provided she was in a good mood. I swear there are times I think that ship is jealous of me."

"Come on, sis, the _Falcon_ isn't so bad now. Sure, it still _looks_ like it is, but it's just a well maintained as any craft in the Jedi hangers," he said, sliding into the pilot's chair.

She sat in the copilot's chair, doing pre-flight checks, as they prepared to take off. The _Bright Hope Ranger_ was a YT-2400, a newer, larger model than the YT-1300. That didn't make it better. It was, in fact, about the least attractive model that Corellian Engineering Corporation had produced. Ugly was not a strong enough word for the ship. She wasn't even sure why they had bought any of the 2400's, since the 1300's were still in production. They were at least mostly symmetrical, and had a certain aesthetic quality to them.

* * *

**Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Skywalker Central, 39:6:25**

Padmé sighed as Cedric left the room; he was running, or as least as much as his dignity would let him run. She reached over and picked up the datapad, curious as to what he'd left her. _Surely it couldn't be something to do with Immolious. _But that was, indeed exactly what it was. It was almost formal in tone, but she could see that Cedric had been the one writing it. He liked grandiose words like _stipulations_. It was so very young and bright-eyed of him that she laughed a little to herself as she read.

She was impressed that Tann, _I do need to start thinking of her as something other than Immolious_, had even accepted, much less with as little fuss as she seemed to want with this. Padmé could meet her, and Cedric's attendance would be required. Luke's presence would be preferable to Anakin's but either would do. The rest was just Cedric putting things in to make it look like more. Formalities, like the legal junk at the bottom of contracts in small print so that your eyes glossed over it and few people actually read. No guards, no weapons, well, none beyond lightsabers.

She wondered if the preference for Luke over Anakin was hers or Cedric's, but decided it didn't matter. She would ask him if both could be included, making things a bit simpler in one regard, though more difficult in another. She put aside thoughts of her younger son's problems along with the datapad, and began work in earnest on some bits of legislation that would smooth the transition from the Old Republic to the New.

* * *

**Dantooine, Jedi Temple, Command Center, 39:6:25**

Elizabeth walked over to her father; he'd been silent since Luke and Leia and left to get help. "Ok, what's your defense plan?" he asked.

"What do you mean my defense plan?" she asked, not believing her ears.

"How are you going to keep the shields up?"

"Huh?"

Her father sighed, "I'm sorry I have to do this, kitten, but I need you to coordinate the ground defense, I know you don't think you are ready for this, but I NEED you. The clones are good, don't get me wrong, but they don't think big picture, you give them a target and they'll defend it or destroy it, but they can't pick the targets," Anakin said.

Cody made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a cough.

"Well, as a general rule they can't," he said smiling at the clone.

"I need help Dad," Elizabeth said.

"That's what I'll be providing, but the help you need, not the help you want."

"You won't be here?"

"No, I'll be leading what fighters we have to shoot down as many of their landers as we can, try to buy you time to get to the main power junction."

"You don't want me to defend the Temple?"

"Not directly."

"But the exercises?"

"Were general practice, not specific for this; I thought we'd have more time."

"Oh…"

"Now, I'm going to the hanger; get the troops moving," he said, standing up.

He was gone before she whispered, "Yes, Daddy."


	7. Note

The dreaded Author's Note Chapter.

* * *

So I've been much absent from the site lately, and have been working diligently at both my homework and projects for here, but mainly on my Shadow trilogy with my main betareader/co-writer, who is Yoda1976 on here, though he's too occupied to actually write something of his own. It's terrible if there's not someone there to edit for him. Not that he doesn't have his elements in which he shines.

But that's neither here nor there. We have jointly decided that in order to make this third book anything resembling a good piece of fiction, we are going to have to go back and heavily re-write the second book. The whole thing. And probably at least two or three of the stories in Interum. So with that being said, we will be deconstructing this story for the moment, and Shadows of the Sith as well, and then we will begin to put it back up. Actually, now that I think of it, if it pleased the audience, I will put up the rewrite separately. I'm working through in my head what this will entail, and it's going to be difficult, but not impossible.

* * *

Major changes: Ages for the kids. Liz is going to be 20 instead of 18, the twins are getting bumped up from 13 to 16, and the triplets are going to be 13. I think this will line their actions up much better with their maturity level. Haven't decided about the pregnancy yet, but we will get there.

We're pulling the Ghost story line as being too contrived and not authentic. I think. I'm writing this at 2 am, about a conversation I had at about 5 pm, and was distracted while having said conversation.


End file.
